Robert E. Harrington Jr.

Robert E. Harrington, Jr. has been a successful trial lawyer for more than 35 years. The foundation for his success, and his expertise in FELA litigation, started when he joined the Harrington Firm and began trying railroad cases with his father and his uncle.

Bob had served as Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) for the United Transportation Union since 1991.  The merger of the United Transportation Union and the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association into the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) became effective November 30, 2011.  The SMART Transportation Division is the largest railroad union in the United States.

He is also a long standing member of the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA) since 1993.  The BLET has recognized ARLA and refers its members to attorneys of ARLA to represent injured BLET members under the FELA.

Bob has achieved many million dollar settlements and verdicts on behalf of railroad employees injured on the job, including cases against every major railroad operating in the Midwest, as well as many short line railroads. During his career, Bob has handled thousands of FELA claims and lawsuits in state and federal courts, including cases in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Wisconsin. In addition to his impressive trial record, Bob’s attention to detail and insightful arguments in both state and federal appellate courts have resulted in a variety of leading decisions that serve as a foundation for workers rights under the FELA.

Bob has been invited to speak and lecture to many different groups about the importance of the FELA to railroad employees and he has been an annual speaker at union state and regional meetings for the past 35 years. He has also been a guest speaker at over a thousand union functions educating union members about the federal laws that are designed to protect the rights of railroad employees.

Bob received a B.A. from John Carroll University in Ohio and his J.D. from the IIT Chicago Kent College of Law . During and following law school he worked for the Chief Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County and distinguished himself as a trial lawyer while working as Public Defender in the Chicago criminal courts.  Bob then joined the law firm of Harrington & Harrington, Ltd. In 1991, the firm was renamed Harrington, Thompson, Acker and Harrington, Ltd. Under Bob’s leadership, the firm is now recognized as one of the leading FELA trial firms in the Midwest.

Bob is admitted in the following states and federal district and appellate courts:

• State of Illinois
• State of Florida
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• Federal Trial Bar for Northern District of Illinois
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
• United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit