Brendan Kevenides

Attorney

Brendan Kevenides has been a personal injury attorney for 23 years. Immediately following law school he became an associate attorney with Patrick J. Kenneally, Ltd., a well-regarded trial law firm representing only injured people.  During his many years with the Kenneally firm Brendan was in charge of litigating numerous complex personal injury cases of all kinds.  A substantial portion of his practice involved representing victims of medical negligence.  But he also represented people injured in construction accidents, motor vehicle collisions, boating accidents, by dangerous products, dangerous premises, malicious animals and, of course, bicycle crashes.

Mr. Kevenides is an everyday Chicago bicyclist whose focus is representing others that ride.  Whether on his rack outfitted Surly Long Haul Trucker, his self-built fixie or his carbon racer, the 44 year old resident of Logan Square spends a lot of time in the saddle.  Turning the focus of his practice to bicycle law happened serendipitously. Several years ago he was asked to represent the family of an 80 year old man who was killed while riding his bike. For years the octogenarian chose to get around his small downstate Illinois town on his bike.  On a sunny afternoon, while riding his bright orange bike, he was killed by a minivan driver who claimed she did not see him at an intersection crossing. Thanks to Brendan’s advocacy the case resolved successfully, but not easily. The defense hired an accident reconstruction expert to cook up a theory that suggested the cyclist was at fault. However, diligent investigative work uncovered a witness who would testify against the minivan driver. The defense was forced to settle the case, the family being spared a difficult and emotional trial.

That case motivated Brendan, a life long cyclist himself, to represent other bicyclists often treated unfairly on both the road and in the courtroom. He started writing about bicycling and the law and created The Chicago Bicycle Advocate, a blog that has garnered a large readership in Chicago and around the United States.  At the start of 2012 he left the law firm where he practiced for 15 years and started his own firm, Law Office Of Brendan H. Kevenides, dedicated to the practice of bicycle law. In 2013 he teamed up with “Lawyer Jim” Freeman to form the Freeman Kevenides Law Firm. Strongly connected to Chicago’s vibrant cycling community, Brendan consistently offers time and resources to local bicycle clubs and organizations. He is a certified bicycle instructor by the League of American Bicyclists (LCI #3732) and a member of the Chicago Cycling Club’s steering committee.  In addition to writing for his own bicycle law blog, he is author of the bike law column Cycling Legalese which appears bimonthly on the popular Urban Velo website.  He has worked the security detail for Chicago’s huge edition of the World Naked Bike Ride (clothed) and was a sponsor of the 2012 Cycle Messenger World Championships held in Chicago.  He is a regular rider during Critical Mass, The Chicago Ride of Silence and other popular cycling events.

Mr. Kevenides is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and received his law degree from DePaul University.  
In law school he was awarded for demonstrated excellence in trial advocacy. He has been licensed to practice in Illinois since 1996.  He serves as an arbitrator in the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program.