Andrew Burkavage

One of the things that Andrew J. Burkavage loves about his work as a trial lawyer is the intellectual challenge posed by every case.

“Every case is different and requires thought, significant preparation, and an attention to detail to make sure you’re doing what’s best for your client,” he says. “The intellectual challenge is picking your way through the case to maximize the value of the case for the client. But there’s no template for how to march your way through a case; they’re all different.”

A Pennsylvania native, Mr. Burkavage first came to the Midwest to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science and international peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. After graduation in 2006, he moved to Washington, D.C. for three years, working most of that period for an architecture and engineering firm where he decided to become a lawyer.

That decision led to his second move to the Midwest when he enrolled at Loyola University’s Chicago School of Law, where he became an associate editor of the school’s International Law Review. He also studied abroad in China, received an International Law Certificate, and made the Dean’s List.

By the time he was a third-year law student, Mr. Burkavage knew that he wanted to be the kind of lawyer who represented individuals in need. After receiving his J.D. in 2012, he joined Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., and began to pursue that professional goal. His practice now focuses on personal-injury cases, but he also handles product-liability cases and assists in medical-malpractice cases.

Mr. Burkavage has played integral roles as a member of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., legal teams that have produced noteworthy seven-figure results for clients.

One of them was a $4.5-million resolution of a case that was settled on the eve of trial on behalf of a young man who was severely injured after he fell to the ground from a second-floor apartment balcony after a railing gave way when he leaned against it. The settlement amount was the largest in Illinois history for a porch collapse.

Another was a $1.4-million jury award following a one-week trial in November 2016 for a client who was injured in a 2010 parking-lot crash that resulted in two disc herniations in her cervical spine. The case took six years from the time of the accident to final resolution, which finally provided relief and satisfaction for the client, Mr. Burkavage says.

“Knowing that you can charter your clients through the murky waters of the civil justice system is a good feeling,” he says. “I’m a competitive person, but that’s not what drives me as a lawyer. What drives me is being able to help a person who’s desperately in need.”

Mr. Burkavage is active professionally with memberships in several bar organizations. He has been named a Rising Star by Illinois SuperLawyers every year since 2016 and has also been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Media.

His primary personal interests include golf and cooking.