Vaccine Injury Attorney - Rhonda Lorenz-Pignato (Of Counsel)

Using her years of experience as a litigation attorney and her other life experiences, Rhonda Lorenz-Pignato is driven to make a positive impact on people across the United States who suffer adverse reactions as a result of vaccination.

Rhonda graduated magna cum laude from DePaul University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in 1989, majoring in Sociology.  She then received her Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University, College of Law, in 1992.

From 1993 to 2001, Rhonda worked with insurance defense firms on various personal injury and medical malpractice claims and developed a solid foundation for investigating and litigating claims involving complex injuries.

In 2001, Rhonda branched out as a sole practitioner and began assisting law firms as an independent contractor. She continued to work on personal injury claims, which included medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, and automobile accident cases. She represented both plaintiffs and defendants, which helps her assess cases from an objective perspective.

As a litigation attorney, Rhonda has represented clients over the years in numerous arbitration hearings and many trials held before judges and juries. She also worked on appeals and argued before the Illinois Appellate Court.

In 1996, Rhonda was trained to be an arbitrator in Illinois’ Mandatory Arbitration Program. Soon after she began working as an arbitrator, she was certified as a Lead Arbitrator in that program due to her experience and performance.

Since then, Rhonda has run hundreds of arbitrations in several counties in the Chicago area. The majority of the cases she hears involve motor vehicle accidents, personal injury, and contract disputes. It’s important to Rhonda to assist people to reach fair and equitable resolutions to their disputes while treating them with kindness and respect.

Rhonda has also taught legal courses in the paralegal program at Northwestern Business College to assist others in gaining the practical knowledge they need to navigate the legal system.

Prior to joining Shannon Law Group (SLG), Rhonda developed a strong interest in learning about vaccine injuries and the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). The VICP is a program created to provide financial compensation to individuals for certain vaccine injuries.

Rhonda had a strong desire to work in this field and to help the vaccine injured, so she began working with SLG at the beginning of 2020. Rhonda works exclusively in SLG’s vaccine injury practice to represent those who have been vaccine injured. She also helps SLG expand their practice, educate the public about vaccine injuries, and offer help to even more people who are struggling with these devastating side effects.

Over the years, Rhonda has participated in her community by donating time to help people with their spiritual, mental, and physical growth. She has been a guest speaker at churches, hospitals, retreats, business training, health care facilities, and other not-for-profit organizations. She created over 100 presentations/workshops on various topics, such as addiction, health, spiritual development, and communication.

She has been a mentor at various addiction treatment facilities over the years, and in 2018 she was certified by the Illinois Certification Board as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialty.

Rhonda is also a professional actor, and she has used that creativity to write, direct, and perform in plays that inspire positive change.

LICENSURE

State Bar of Illinois, 1992
U.S. Northern District of Illinois, 1992
U.S. Court of Federal Claims, 2020

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Chicago Bar Association