Senior Partner, Trial Lawyer, Teacher, Mentor, Friend
Barry David Goldberg was the senior partner of Goldberg & Goldberg, LLC and one of the nation’s preeminent medical malpractice trial lawyers. For more than sixty years, Barry dedicated his career to representing families in cases involving catastrophic injury, with a special focus on obstetrical negligence and children who suffered profound brain injury at birth.
Barry tried or resolved cases in 25 states and was licensed to practice law in Illinois, New York, Florida, Colorado, and California. He built a national reputation not just for the size of his results, but for the depth of his preparation, his command of medicine, and his unwavering loyalty to his clients.
Barry believed that the courtroom is where ordinary people can stand on equal footing with the most powerful institutions in America. He lived that belief. To date, Barry and his firm have obtained more than 150 verdicts or settlements in excess of $1 million, with an aggregate recovery surpassing $750 million on behalf of injured patients and their families. He also secured one of the largest drug product liability verdicts in U.S. history – an award of more than $127 million. Barry tried his last medical malpractice case in August 2025 at the age of 85. The courtroom was his oxygen.
Beyond his record in the courtroom, Barry was a gifted teacher and mentor to many. He served as a full professor at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago and also taught at IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law, where he instructed future lawyers in medical malpractice and products liability. He authored more than 40 articles and numerous book chapters in his areas of practice. He lectured across the country on trial practice, medicine, and the ethics of advocacy.
Barry was respected by judges, feared by defendants, and loved by his clients. He practiced law with intensity, precision, and moral clarity. But those who knew him best will tell you his greatest talent was personal, not legal: Barry had a rare gift for making everyone he met feel like the most important person in the room. He connected instantly and genuinely with doctors, jurors, clients, students, colleagues, friends, and complete strangers. That connection was not a tactic. It was who he was.
Barry passed away on October 17, 2025. He leaves behind a legacy measured not just in record verdicts, legal publications, and courtroom victories, but in the thousands of lives he touched, mentored, protected, and lifted. His voice, his standards, and his spirit will continue to guide this firm every single day. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews as well as his work family. All who crossed his path felt the radiant echo of his warmth and generosity.
Awards
- Super Lawyer 2014 – 2017
- Leading Lawyer 2013 – 2017
