Robert Clifford

Robert A. Clifford is the founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, Illinois. He represents victims and families in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, with a long record in aviation disasters, transportation accidents and medical negligence litigation.

Clifford founded the firm in 1984, and he has represented families in nearly every major U.S. commercial airline crash since 1979. He served as lead counsel in the federal litigation over the 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8, and he currently represents families affected by the January 2025 midair collision over the Potomac River, the November 2025 UPS cargo crash in Louisville and the June 2025 Air India Flight 171 crash. His results include a $29.6 million verdict for violinist Rachel Barton after a Metra train incident and a role as lead negotiator in the $1.2 billion settlement of Sept. 11 property damage claims.

Clifford has served as president of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the Chicago Inn of Court, and he chaired the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation. He has been a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers since 1994 and was inducted into the Inner Circle of Advocates in 2003. He earned his law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1976.