Lane Brown, LLC

Attorney Scott D. Lane

Scott D. Lane is a partner of Lane Brown, LLC., a plaintiff's personal injury firm which specializes in the fields of medical and professional negligence, motor vehicle accidents, premises and product liability, and related areas involving serious personal injury and wrongful death.   Prior to his present practice, Scott was a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney for several years.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, Cum Laude, in 1984 from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.  In 1988, Scott received his Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, where he served as a member of the Law Review and Trial Team.  For his accomplishments on the Trial Team, Scott received the American College of Trial Lawyers Medal for Excellence in Advocacy.  Scott is admitted to the following bars: Illinois; United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois; and United States Supreme Court. Scott is a Life Member of the National Registry of Who's Who in America.  He is also a founding member of Loyola Law School's Circle of Advocates and serves as a mentor in Loyola’s mentoring of law students program.  In 2002, Scott was selected as one of the 40 Attorneys Under 40 in Illinois To Watch. He has also been consistently selected as an “Illinois Super Lawyer” as published by Law & Politics and Chicago Magazine.  In 2014, Scott became a member of The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100.

Scott frequently lectures at bar association seminars on topics pertaining to civil litigation.  Additionally, Scott is the director and instructor of the Illinois State Bar Association Trial Technique Institute.  Scott is also an adjunct professor at the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law where he has coached Loyola's Trial Team.  Scott is a contributing author of Lane's Goldstein Trial Technique and Lane Medical Litigation Guide and has authored numerous articles, chapters and texts pertaining to various aspects of civil litigation, including the widely used text, “Illinois Motions in Limine”, published by Thomson West.
Scott is an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice (fka “ATLA”), American College of Legal Medicine, and the International Society of Primerus.

Attorney Stephen I. Lane

Steve Lane is the managing partner at Lane Brown, LLC., originally working alongside his father and brother until Fred Lane retired, under the family business motto of “doing the right thing” to help protect the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves. 2021 marks Steve’s 43rd anniversary practicing law, pouring his efforts into catastrophic personal injury cases.

Over the course of his professional career, Steve has served on numerous Illinois Bar Association and Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association committees and boards, and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors on the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, an organization made up of more than 3,500 attorneys from nearly 50 countries around the world. Lane Brown, LLC., is the only Plaintiffs’ personal injury law firm in Illinois to be included in membership in this prestigious organization.

He has also had the privilege of authoring state legislation, and of teaching other lawyers over the years, instructing them in areas of medical matters and litigation, and trial and strategy. His hope is that more people are being helped every day because he has been able to help other lawyers become better advocates for their clients. Steve has been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell as a “Preeminent Attorney” for many years. Most recently, he was named a 2021 "Illinois Super Lawyer" and has consistently earned this award each year since the award was established.

Above and beyond all of his accomplishments during his legal career, the one thing that he is most proud of is his family. Steve is married, and the father of three adult children, all of whom are married. He and his wife Sally, our office manager, are proud grandparents, too! Their oldest daughter, Jessica, is married to Danny Raskin and is the mother of Steve’s three grandchildren. Steve’s son-in-law, Danny Raskin, shares the Lanes’ close-knit family interest, and is one of the owners and managers of an icon of Chicago: Manny’s Delicatessen. Steve and Sally’s son, Danny, was a manager with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (a prominent restaurant development company) for many years, and recently has transitioned to a career in data compilation and analysis. Danny was married to his wife, Alyx, who is an emergency room nurse, during the pandemic, and their youngest daughter, Kim, works as a first grade school teacher and was also married this year to Devlin, who manages the IT for a prominent ad specialty company.

In his “spare time,” Steve is a man of hidden talents of all kinds. Music is one of his great passions—he plays guitar and sings in a local rock band named “Dunhill," as well as for his temple’s guitar band at services. Steve has been scuba diving all over the world since 1974; loves animals to the point that Sally often refers to Steve as “Dr. Doolittle"; enjoys the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and White Sox; and spent his younger days playing on multiple football and softball leagues. These days, his athletic participation is limited to working out each day, running around with his grandkids, some fishing and an occasional round of golf.

Steve is a hands-on kind of guy as well, building and fixing everything possible around his home and office. Whether he’s troubleshooting computer equipment at Lane Brown, LLC., or maintaining his home-built 300 gallon aquarium, Steve knows just enough to get himself into trouble at times—and just enough to get himself out as well!

Throughout all of his life experiences, both the joys and the struggles, Steve has applied everything he’s learned toward gaining insight and perspective into the lives of the people he’s fighting for.

Attorney Mark A. Brown

For the past 25 years, attorney Mark A. Brown has been honing his skills as a litigator and gaining a wide range of legal experience, all while helping numerous families and individuals who have suffered an injury, accident, or abuse. He dedicates his time, passion, and energy to his clients and to upholding the law. Mark has also provided legal commentary for the Daily Herald newspaper and appeared on the PBS TV show, Chicago Tonight, discussing sexual assault and abuse cases.

Since receiving his law degree in 1993, Mark Brown has practiced as a plaintiff's civil litigation attorney, concentrating in medical malpractice, catastrophic and complex personal injury actions, and sexual abuse cases in state and federal courts. Since he joined Lane Brown, LLC. in 2002, he has helped hundreds of clients with personal injury claims, medical malpractice cases, product liability lawsuits, and sexual abuse cases.

Mark graduated from the University of Illinois – Champaign-Urbana in 1989 with a major in Economics and a minor in Business. He then attended the Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1990-1993. There, he was president of the Decalogue Society and on the Dean’s List.

Mark's experience includes argument of a medical malpractice case in front of the Illinois Supreme Court at age 34, the preparation of several Appellate briefs, as well as numerous jury trials and mediations involving serious personal injury and medical malpractice.

For the years 2010-2018, Mark was selected by his peers as an Illinois Personal Injury SuperLawyer, an honor given to only five percent of the field. He has also been recognized as one of America's Most Honored Professionals. In 2007, Mark was recognized by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of the 40 Under 40 Attorneys to Watch in Illinois.
Mark spends much of his time outside of the office with his wife and three sons. He enjoys playing and collecting guitars. Mark also acts as executive vice president of the Executives Guild Ltd., a Chicago-area business association.

Attorney Claire Connolly

Claire M. Connolly is an associate attorney at Lane Brown, LLC., focusing primarily in the areas of personal injury, medical and professional negligence, and sexual abuse. Prior to joining the Lane Brown, LLC., team in June of 2021, Claire practiced at another Chicago-based plaintiff’s personal injury firm where she first chaired over 20 jury trials to verdict.

By practicing with empathy and compassion, Claire has helped countless clients through the difficulties that follow a loss. She is passionate about advocating for her clients to ensure they receive the justice and compensation they deserve.

Claire grew up in a family dedicated to the practice of law and knew from a young age she would carry on the tradition. Her law practice has been heavily influenced by the early understanding that an attorney protects a client from being taken advantage of after a serious event.

Claire completed her undergraduate studies at Northern Illinois University, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Individual Development and a minor in Art Studies. During her undergraduate studies, Claire focused on family social services to further her passion of advocacy.

Claire earned her Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School. While working on her J.D., Claire participated in a Judicial Externship program with The Honorable Henry R. Simmons in the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. During her time as a judicial extern, Claire observed multiple personal injury and medical negligence jury trials, solidifying her desire to be a litigator.

She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Woman’s Bar Association of Illinois. Claire is also admitted to the U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois and its Trial Bar Division.

Attorney Kellie J. Snyder

Kellie J. Snyder, an associate attorney at Lane Brown, LLC., brings justice to those whose lives have been altered due to the wrongful and negligent acts of others. While a full-time law student, Kellie joined the Lane Brown, LLC team in January of 2017. During this time, she served as a law clerk to partner Mark Brown, assisting in the zealous representation of victims in a variety of cases, including personal injury, medical malpractice, and sexual abuse.

Kellie brings an empathetic, understanding approach to the practice of law, and she makes communication with clients a priority. Her attention to detail and relentless pursuit of the truth has played a valuable role in obtaining verdicts and favorable settlements on behalf of clients.

Although Kellie has experience in a wide range of cases, she is particularly passionate about advocating for victims of sexual assault and abuse. While society is just now understanding the silence many victims of sexual acts have faced for years, Kellie has long understood this obstacle and works tirelessly to support victims of sexual assault and abuse in speaking out against their abusers.

Kellie is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law, where she served as a teaching assistant in legal research and writing. In this role, Kellie mentored over fifty first-year law students in crafting persuasive, thoroughly researched legal arguments. Kellie has been recognized for her trial advocacy skills in law school, as she was a recipient of the CALI Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy II, an award which is given to the individual with the highest grade in the class. During this same time, she was recruited to join the DePaul Trial Team, where she was one of four law students, chosen from a team of twenty, to compete in a mock trial competition in New York.

Kellie completed her undergraduate studies at Ball State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science and Humanities in Legal Studies, specializing in Public Interest Law and minoring in Psychology. 

Attorney Nick Kamenjarin

Nick Kamenjarin is an associate attorney at Lane Brown, LLC., a plaintiff's personal injury firm which specializes in the fields of medical and professional negligence, motor vehicle accidents, premises and product liability, and related areas involving serious personal injury and wrongful death. In each of the past two years, Nick was selected as one of the top 2.5% of personal injury litigators in Illinois. Prior to joining Lane Brown, LLC., Nick practiced at another Chicago plaintiff’s personal injury firm as well as a large insurance defense firm. Nick is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, and Association of Croatian American Professionals.

Nick grew up in the Old Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois and earned summa cum laude degree honors from the College of Business at Northern Illinois University. At NIU, he was a four-year member of the football team, earning the Mid-American Conference's Commissioner's Award in 2009 and Presidential Award in 2010. After NIU, Nick earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he served as an editor for the Journal of College and University Law and as an Executive Board Member of the Sport, Communications and Entertainment Law Forum.