Mr. Barrett has been engaged in the trial of civil cases in the courts of northern Illinois for 27 years. In that time he has tried more than 70 major jury trials to verdict. During the first five years of his career Mr. Barrett was also involved in the trial of many major criminal jury cases. In 1992 he became the first Rockford lawyer to obtain a million-dollar plus verdict in a medical malpractice trial. The case also set a record for the highest verdict ever awarded for wrongful death in the courts of Winnebago County. He has handled medical malpractice cases that have involved catastrophic brain injury, heart and circulatory injury, surgical errors, failure to diagnose cancer, blindness, orthopedic injuries, birth injuries, nursing home malpractice, and wrongful death. In 1999 Mr. Barrett assisted his partner, Daniel T. Gilbert, representing a retired U. S. Army Lt. Col. and six Navy divers in an action against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Suit was filed in the U. S. District Court in the District of Columbia. The lawsuit arose out of the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Islamic terrorists, trained and equipped by Iran, on route from Athens to Rome in June of 1985. The claims were brought under the amendments approved by Congress to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in 1996 and sign by President Clinton that same year. Ultimately, through extensive lobbying efforts, the compensatory damages awarded were paid through an appropriation authorized by Congress and signed by President Bush utilizing frozen assets belonging to Iran in the custody of the U. S. Department of State. Mr. Barrett and his partner, Dan Gilbert, are currently reviewing several other international terrorism cases which have been offered.

Notable Cases and Results:
Carlson vs. Islamic Republic of Iran, 201 F. Supp. 2d 78 (D.D.C., 2002), verdict of $308,000,000.00 entered per Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson in favor of six plaintiffs and spouses. Verdict represents record largest per diem compensatory award for international airliner hijacking and torture to surviving victims of international terrorism.

Carlson vs. Raju, (Winnebago County, IL, 1992); verdict for Plaintiff in medical malpractice action in the amount of $1,200,000.00 represented first million dollar verdict for medical malpractice in Winnebago County, Il and also largest verdict for wrongful death damages.

Kimball vs. Eichman, (Winnebago County, IL, 1996), medical malpractice verdict including award of $500,000.00 in conscious pain and suffering represented then highest award for pain and suffering damages in Winnebago County.

Confidential case name (Winnebago County, IL, 2000); recovery in the amount of $3,500,000.00 represented then highest amount recovered by either settlement or verdict for wrongful death in Winnebago County, IL.

Confidential case name (Stephenson County, IL, 1993), recovery in the amount of $1,500,000.00 represents record largest recovery for transportation facility negligence in Stephenson County, IL.

Confidential case name (Winnebago County, 2001); recovery of $2,500,000.00 represents largest amount recovered by settlement or verdict to a survivor of medical malpractice for cardiac injury.

Confidential case name (U.S.D.C., N. Dist., IL, 2003) and (Winnebago County, IL, 2003); recovery of $1,600,000.00 for combined liability of state and federal court defendants for medical malpractice resulting in vision loss represents a record high recovery in courts of Northern Illinois for such an injury.

Confidential case name (Winnebago County, IL, 2004); recovery in the amount of $7,000,000.00 represents highest amount paid in voluntary settlement of medical malpractice action in Winnebago County.

Confidential Case Name, $1,000,000.00 for failure to diagnose breast cancer.   

Grawey vs. Rockford Memorial Hospital, $500,000.00 for suicide attempt in the emergency room.

Confidential Case Name, Winnebago County, 1999, $600,000 recovery against doctor and clinic who failed over a two year period to diagnose ovarian cancer in a 59 year old woman.  

Confidential Case Name, Winnebago County, 2004, $400,000 recovery for inadvertent injury to kidney's blood supply during removal of a tumor on the kidney.

Confidential Case Name, Winnebago County, 2003, $400,000 recovery for 6 month delay in making lung cancer diagnosis.

Confidential Case Name, Winnebago County, 2004, $250,000 recovery against nursing home who failed, over a period of six months, to prevent decubitus ulcer in 90 year old man.

Anderson vs. Bob Evans, Inc., $350,000 recovery against owner of commercial truck for multiple trauma arising out of intersectional motor vehicle collision.

Community Involvement:
Chairman of Board of Regents, Trinity International University, 1996-2000
Chairman of Board of Directors, Rockford Christian Schools, 1994-1996;

Published Legal Writing:
Police Civil Liability, Northwestern University Traffic Safety Institute, 1998, co-authored with his partner, Daniel T. Gilbert
Trial Tactics and Strategies, Northwestern University Traffic Safety Institute, 1997, co-authored with his partner, Daniel T. Gilbert.

Legal Lectures:
"Observations on Reducing the Risk of Police Civil Liability," Pacific Rim Vehicular Homicide and DUI Conference, 1998
"Witness Preparation for Trial," Pacific Rim Vehicular Homicide and DUI Conference, 1997
"Trial Tactics and Strategies," Pacific Rim Vehicular Homicide and DUI Conference, 1997
"Search and Seizure," Pacific Rim Vehicular Homicide and DUI Conference, 1997