James Thomas Corrigan

Jim is a founding member of O’Leary, Shelton, Corrigan, Peterson, Dalton, & Quillin, LLC.

Jim earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1990. Jim worked in sales for three years before returning to law school in 1993 at St. Louis University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude in 1996. Jim is licensed to practice in Missouri, Illinois and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.  

Jim concentrates his practice in products liability, catastrophic injuries, pharmaceutical litigation, and wrongful death claims, including window covering strangulation claims, forklift accidents, workplace injuries, tire explosions and separations, truck and car crashes, under ride collisions, manufacturing equipment defects, skid loader accidents, bobcat accidents, gas tank explosions, car defects and construction equipment cases.

Jim is widely recognized as a national advocate and authority window blind strangulation and safety.  Jim has handled over 70 catastrophic injuries and deaths involving strangulation on window covering cords throughout the United States.  Jim has handled product liability and wrongful death cases throughout the country including Missouri, Maine, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin, California, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Connecticut, Arizona, Colorado, Virginia, Montana, New Jersey, Washington, Tennessee, Oregon, and South Dakota. Since focusing his practice on helping those suffered significant injures or death in 2003, Jim has participated in verdicts and settlements in excess of $135,000,000. Some highlights are listed below.

In 2004, Jim successfully resolved a wrongful death claim in Indiana for $3,000,000 for a widow and her four children against a major retailer resulting from the operation of a forklift on a defective loading dock.  In 2005, Jim completed the trial of Kohlfeld v. Rock Hill Mechanical Corp., involving a construction site accident and helped obtain a $9,000,000 verdict, which is the largest personal injury verdict in the history of Jefferson County, Missouri.

In 2006, Jim resolved the lawsuit of a young boy for $4,100,000 against a major automobile manufacturer for a defective seat which failed during a collision causing the boy to suffer catastrophic brain damage.  Also in 2006, Jim participated in the $4,000,000 resolution of the wrongful death claim a woman resulting from the failure of an under ride bar of a truck and trailer operated by a large food manufacturer.  In 2007, Jim resolved the wrongful death claim of an operator of a large dump truck when he was killed after the left front tire on his steer axle of his dump truck failed. The tire had been in use less than one week. At the time of the collision, the dump truck was empty. This matter settled for a confidential amount.  In 2009, Jim resolved a forklift accident death case for a total of $2,650,000.

In February, 2010, Jim tried to verdict the trial of David Willett v. Harsco Corporation d/b/a Patent Construction Systems, involving a construction site accident and obtained $1,100,000 unanimous verdict in St. Clair County, Illinois Circuit Court on a no offer case.  This verdict was one of the largest verdicts in an injury case in St. Clair County, Illinois over the past ten years.  In August, 2010, Jim completed the resolution of the Kramer v. Bax Engineering, et al. lawsuit, for a total settlement of $8,300,000 which is believed to be the largest personal injury settlement in St. Charles County Circuit Court history.  In September, 2010, Jim was the lead attorney in a $22,500,000 resolution of the claims of a mother and her newborn son, both of whom suffered catastrophic brain damage, resulting from an automobile collision in rural Missouri. This is believed to be the largest reported settlement in St. Louis County history.  Jim was then hired by the insurance company that paid the $22,500,000 to obtain indemnification from the medical providers for the injuries sustained by the mother and newborn son.  Jim tried the matter with co-counsel to verdict.

In 2011, Jim resolved death claims involving consumer products in the States of Connecticut, Illinois, Arkansas and California for over $6,500,000.  Jim also resolved a third party criminal act case for a confidential amount involving the shooting of a customer on the parking lot of a large retailer in Western Missouri.  In 2012, Jim resolved a claim involving a brain injured child in the State of Washington for $5,300,000 and resolved a claim for a brain injured child in Missouri for $3,500,000. Jim also resolved a claim for a burn victim from a consumer product for $2,900,000.

In 2013, Jim has successfully resolved injury and death claims involving consumer products including claims in Missouri, California, Arizona, Virginia and Ohio in excess of $6,000,000.   In 2014, Jim successfully resolved a sexual assault case for confidential amount and successfully resolved injury and death claims involving consumer products including claims in Missouri, Montana, California, Arizona, Virginia and Ohio in excess of $6,000,000.

In 2015, Jim successfully resolved a consumer product case involving the brain injury of a 3 year old child for $4,750,000.  Jim resolved over $4,000,000 in wrongful death claims in Georgia, California and Montana.  In 2016, Jim successfully resolved a wrongful death, third party criminal assault case at an in Missouri for $2,000,000.  Further, Jim resolved three consumer product cases against major manufacturers for over $5,500,.  Jim resolved claims of several individuals which occurred while operating a defective consumer product for total amounts in excess o f $20,000,000.

In 2017, Jim resolved a claim against a confidential defendant for the wrongful death of twin boys who drowned while attending a birthday party at a recreational facility for $5,000,.  Further, Jim resolved the claims of a young child who suffered traumatic brain injuries confining her to wheelchair for the rest of her life despite significant legal issues for a confidential amount in excess of $2,000,000.  Jim also resolved the claims of a husband and wife for significant injuries suffered during a collision resulting in the loss of skin and amputation of a leg for a confidential amount. 

Jim is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, of which less than 1% of practicing lawyers in the United States would qualify. Jim is a member of AIEG, the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, the Missouri Bar Association, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and the St. Louis County Bar Association, where he served six years on the Executive Committee.  Jim was born and raised in St. Louis. Jim is the son of a retired St. Louis County, Missouri Circuit Court Judge. Jim currently lives in St. Louis with his wife and six children.