Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska is pleased to announce the promotion of Alayna Lichtman to the position of Partner with the firm. SST is a civil defense litigation firm with offices in Chicago and Edwardsville, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; and Seattle, Washington. With the elevation of Alayna, half of SST’s leadership are women.

Alayna is admitted to practice in Illinois and Texas where she concentrates her practice on products liability defense and occupational injury claims, including asbestos litigation. Prior to joining SST, Alayna worked for a commercial litigation firm where she represented individuals and corporations in all stages of litigation. Her skills in organization and management of large caseloads have led to the efficient and timely favorable resolution of claims against her clients before trial.

“We are excited to have Alayna as our Partner. Alayna began her legal career with many of us at our prior firm and has shown herself to be an exceptional and reliable advocate. One of the reasons we are proud of SST is that we created an environment that fosters long-lasting relationships both internally and with our clients.” said Doug Sinars, the firm’s Managing Partner.

Alayna earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the John Marshall Law School, where she was named to the Dean’s List and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta and the Women’s Bar Association. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University Bloomington.

In her free time, Alayna enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, trying new restaurants, and watching Hoosier basketball. 

Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska LLC is proud to announce Zoë Baker as the firm’s newest partner. Zoë has been with SST since its inception in March 2016 and has become an integral part of the firm. SST is a Midwest-based firm with a national reach specializing in defending a variety of civil claims.
 
Zoë defends both domestic and international product and equipment manufacturers, premise owners, employers, outside contractors, and suppliers in general liability, mass toxic tort and product liability cases, including multi-party personal injury claims involving exposure to asbestos, benzene, mold and Legionella.

“Not only is Zoë an excellent attorney, her humility and down-to-earth nature help her connect with everyone she interacts with," said Doug Sinars, SST’s managing partner.

​Zoë received her Juris Doctor summa cum laude from DePaul College of Law (2012), where she was awarded four CALI awards and the Chancellor’s Award for Service, and obtained an LLB degree in law from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England (2007). Zoë previously was Senior Law Clerk to the Honorable Diane J. Larsen, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division where she authored draft opinions on a wide range of cases.

David Nilles and Amy Callaghan have joined Sinars Slowikowski Tomaska as partners in its Chicago office. Prior to joining SST, Dave and Amy were partners with the late Edward Matushek at Matushek LLC. Welcome Dave and Amy!

Dave has more than 30 years of legal experience handling civil jury trials and appeals. He has a significant background defending medical malpractice claims and has defended clients in cases involving product liability, aviation law and air crashes, nursing home negligence, construction liability, asbestos personal injury and other casualty claims. This includes successfully trying several matters to verdict in Cook County, Illinois.

Amy focuses her practice on defense of toxic tort/environmental, product liability, construction negligence, construction defect and general negligence claims. She is adept at working and coordinating with insurers, insureds, in-house and national counsel in developing early defense strategies to achieve successful resolution of cases. Her experience includes defending clients through mediation, at pre-trial conferences and negotiating settlements.