Ava Gehringer is a trial attorney at Kaveny Sarmas Injury Lawyers who represents individuals and families devastated by medical negligence and catastrophic injury. She practices in all areas of personal injury, with a particular focus on complex medical malpractice, wrongful death, and serious injury cases. Ava works relentlessly to uncover critical failures in care, expose systemic breakdowns, and secure meaningful justice for her clients. Ava earned her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she received three CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for legal writing and litigation. A Chicago-area native, Ava grew up in Evanston and spent her young adult years traveling the globe as a rhythmic gymnast, representing the United States. She retired as a National Champion and member of the U.S. World Team, later serving as an athlete representative to the USA National Team, where she acted as a liaison between youth athletes and national leadership. “Serving as a voice between young athletes and those in positions of authority taught me the importance of speaking up when others cannot,” Ava says. “That experience ignited my passion for advocacy and ultimately led me to the law.” Ava prepares every case as though it will be tried before a jury. Her background as a former elite athlete shapes her approach to litigation—disciplined, strategic, and unyielding in high-pressure environments—and her background as an athlete representative shapes her commitment to consistent and open communication with her clients at every step. She understands that behind every case is a family whose life has been permanently changed, and she treats that responsibility with the seriousness it demands.

John J. Corbett, the founding partner of Law Offices of John J. Corbett concentrates his legal practice substantially in personal injury litigation, and insurance disputes on behalf of businesses and individuals and has done so throughout his entire career. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident or are unable to work as a result of an injury or illness, you likely have many questions that require direct , honest answers from an experienced lawyer. The Law Offices of John J. Corbett has four decades of legal experience handling all types of accident and injury cases. Our firm strives to provide outstanding legal representation to individuals who have been injured. We are prepared to be your trusted guide and aggressive advocate through the process. Even a minor accident can have disastrous effects on the human body. At the end of the day, it does not take a fall from a significant height or a collision at high speed to cause serious injury. Even seemingly minor accidents can have life-altering consequences. If you find yourself or a loved one in this position, it is important you hire an experienced and reputable personal injury attorney. Although he works diligently on behalf of all his clients no matter how small or how large their case is, he has successfully tried and settled multi-million dollar cases including a $41 million dollar verdict, one of the largest wrongful death verdicts in Illinois. Mr. Corbett has represented a broad range of clients in the areas of medical malpractice, automobile, premises liability, construction, toxic tort, and insurance coverage. The Law Offices of John J. Corbett works hard to assertively negotiate optimal settlements for our clients and are prepared to aggressively litigate cases in order to protect client interests. We are dedicated to understanding the specific needs and concerns of our clients and successfully utilize our legal prowess to see our cases to completion.

Since joining TorHoerman Law in 2009, Jacob Plattenberger has taken hundreds of depositions, argued in countless hearings, and tried over thirty-five (35) cases to a jury. His experience in and out of the courtroom has made him a passionate advocate for those injured due to the negligence of others. Jake started his career trying cases at one of the busiest civil courthouses in the country – the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago. He started out doing insurance defense because he knew that afforded him the best opportunity to get courtroom experience. This type of real trial experience is exceedingly rare in complex civil litigation and having seen it from the defense side gives Jake an added advantage.

Eric W. Cracken joined TorHoerman Law in 2019, to work in our Chicago office. At TorHoerman Law, Eric works in our Chicago office as a member of our trial team that focuses in nationwide, complex litigations representing clients who have been injured by the actions of large corporations and organizations.

Nicolette Van Dielen has been practicing law since 2009. She began as a prosecutor in Tucson, Arizona. In her first year, she successfully tried seventeen DUI jury cases. The following year, she obtained favorable outcomes in ten felony DUI jury cases and was named Pima County Attorney’s Office MADD Felony Prosecutor of 2011. From 2011 through 2018, Nicolette prosecuted criminal appeals for the Pima County Attorney’s Office, arguing two cases to the Arizona Supreme Court and seven cases to the Arizona Court of Appeals. During her last year in Tucson, Nicolette prosecuted special victim cases. At the time of her departure, she was awarded for outstanding service by the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Pima County Animal Cruelty Taskforce. In 2019, Nicolette moved to San Antonio, Texas and served as a staff attorney at the Fourth Court of Appeals. As a staff attorney, Nicolette drafted numerous court opinions, including two dissenting opinions that both led to reversals in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In 2024, Nicolette moved to be closer to family in Chicago and began her transition to plaintiff representation in civil law. Joining Kaveny Sarmas has provided her with a new platform to advocate for the right of those injured to seek accountability for their loss.

Rachel Rojas is an attorney at TorHoerman Law who specializes in product liability and pharmaceutical litigation. A Corpus Christi, TX native, Rachal moved cross-country to attend Columbia University in New York City and completed a bachelor’s degree in political science. Before law school and after graduating from Columbia, she worked on both sides of civil litigation as a paralegal for a plaintiff’s asbestos law firm and a corporate defense firm.