Ever since her childhood years growing up in Union Grove, Wis., Elizabeth knew she wanted to be a lawyer. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, she had her sights set on law school and received a B.A. cum laude in political science with a concentration in law and criminal justice in 2008. She then took a job working in a plaintiff’s personal injury law firm in Racine, Wis. and continued working there through her time as a law student at John Marshall Law School in Chicago. A member of the Law Review, she graduated magna cum laude.
Elizabeth knew she wanted to have the kind of practice where she could work on behalf of individuals who needed help, and in 2013 joined Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, where she had the chance to do precisely that as a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney. During her seven years with the firm, Elizabeth had a profound impact on her colleagues, clients, and countless other people she encountered inside and outside the courtroom.
Sadly, on February 9, 2020 in Yorkville, Wisconsin, Elizabeth’s life was cut short in a fatal car accident.
“Elizabeth was a very promising young lawyer with a very bright future. She was as kind and sweet as can be, but tenacious and meticulous about her work. It breaks my heart that we will never get to see all the wonderful things Elizabeth was destined to accomplish for her clients,” Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard Chairman and Managing Equity Partner Patrick A. Salvi said. “We will miss seeing Elizabeth’s smiling face every day. But her infectious warmth has touched all of us and will remain in the fabric of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard.”
When she wasn’t tirelessly working up a case for one of her clients, Elizabeth volunteered with the “Waukegan 2 College” program, a non-profit organization focused on providing assistance to students who have limited abilities in navigating the college application process, such as language or financial barriers. Elizabeth became involved with the program after she was invited to a luncheon hosted by the organization. After learning about how the program helps Lake County students, she decided to join and was connected with a mentee. Since then, Elizabeth regularly met with her mentee to provide her with guidance in the hopes of giving her the best chance of acceptance into a school of her choice. She accompanied her to college visits and helped her with her college application essays.
Elizabeth was active in several professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, the Wisconsin State Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Lake County Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association for Justice. She made several presentations and speeches to various groups on her trial experience at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard.
In recognition of her outstanding legal work, Elizabeth was recognized as a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers and as an Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Media, an honor given to the top 2% of the lawyers in Illinois who are under 40 years old or have practiced 10 years or less.
“Elizabeth was a vibrant and brilliant litigator who loved her clients and job fiercely, but more importantly, she was an amazing and kind human being. She was not just my colleague, she was my dear friend. We are all blessed to have had her as part of our Salvi Schostok & Pritchard family. To say that she will be deeply missed is an understatement,” Tara R. Devine, Managing Partner of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard’s Lake County office said.
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