R. Courtney Hughes

Mr. Hughes is the first person in his family to obtain a professional degree. He has wanted to be a lawyer since he was 13 years old. He put himself through undergraduate and law school while working as a truck driver, lifeguard, factory worker in an auto parts plant, factory worker in an ice plant and finally as a law clerk.
With a BS degree in Finance, Mr. Hughes initially wanted to practice tax law but was bitten by the trial bug in law school. Mr. Hughes graduated from law school in 1985 and tried his first medical malpractice case as a plaintiffs lawyer six months later (and lost horribly but learned a great deal). By 1989 he started his own law firm where he has worked ever since in southern Illinois. Mr. Hughes has been trying lawsuits in southern Illinois for 38 years concentrating exclusively in plaintiff’s personal injury and medical malpractice litigation. He has a particular interest in the professionalism of trial lawyers such that he became certified as a civil trial specialist and pre-trial specialist in the early 1990s through the American College of Board Certified Attorneys. He has written multiple articles about trial law and trial technology and has given lectures on those topics.
Mr. Hughes is a former tri-athlete who still works out every day. He finds time to ride his 2016 Harley-Davidson Road Glide on the weekends.