You often hear about small-town values from big-city attorneys in commercials, but Jim McPhedran, who grew up on a farm outside Oglesby, took his small-town values to Chicago and brought back his law degree to help the people of the Illinois Valley. He remains as committed to his community today as he was as a new lawyer over three decades ago.
Jim became a partner at Meyers, Flowers, Bruno, McPhedran, and Herrmann after working side-by-side with renowned attorney Anthony Raccuglia.
Tony Raccuglia opened his Peru, Illinois-based law firm 60 years ago in his hometown of La Salle, focusing on civil litigation while also serving as an Assistant State’s Attorney. After his retirement from the State’s Attorney’s office in 1968, Tony continued to practice law as a plaintiff’s attorney in personal injury, workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, and automobile negligence cases. Tony invited Jim McPhedran to join the firm not long after Jim graduated from law school.
"Tony Raccuglia was an icon in the legal profession and had a very distinguished career with many well-deserved accolades that spanned six decades. Working with Anthony C. Raccuglia & Associates provided an opportunity to help many different types of clients with challenging legal issues," said Jim McPhedran.
Anthony C. Raccuglia & Associates was one of few local law firms that won million-dollar verdicts in the LaSalle County area. Tony, Jim, and the firm's associates had tens of millions in settlements and verdicts during its years of existence.
Jim’s work on a pair of Appellate Court cases was precedent-setting for injured workers. The first case provided the potential to obtain penalties for the unreasonable failure to authorize prospective surgery even in a case where the employer had its own independent medical exam. The second case provided helpful protection to an injured worker from retaliatory discharge for the worker's pursuit of his lawful right to workers compensation benefits.
Jim also had the privilege of being lead counsel on two Supreme Court of Illinois victories. One established a precedent providing insurance coverage to an injured Plaintiff for injuries caused by a driver of a vehicle that the independent driver did not own, which had not been furnished for the driver’s regular use. Another Supreme Court case established the precedent that one depositor of a joint bank account had the authority to pledge the entirety of the funds in an account.
In 2001, the firm represented a Democrat and Republican in challenging a Bureau County Board reapportionment plan that had been approved by the County Board. Jim took the lead in contending that the plan was not compliant with the statute because it divided townships and municipalities unnecessarily, and boundary lines were not sufficient. In addition, the proposed plan would cost Bureau County taxpayers more over the next ten years than should be necessary. After a short but intense litigation, a just resolution by way of settlement resulted in a different plan than originally passed.
The new agreed plan was believed statutorily compliant, giving the voters and citizens of Bureau County a fair map from which to choose their County Board Representatives. The plan also provided a much easier and more economical procedure for the County Clerk to implement than the original reapportionment plan. This new plan was used for ten years and is believed to be similar to the policy still followed by the County. Raccuglia & Associates appreciated the opportunity to assist in doing justice for the citizens of Bureau County in that case.
The firm always prioritized giving back to their local areas, with both Tony and Jim serving as the La Salle city attorney over the last several decades. Jim has been appointed to this position through three different administrations and still serves as the city’s attorney to this day. Since taking office, the city has more than doubled in size.
“The decision to become a Meyers, Flowers, Bruno, McPhedran and Herrmann partner was an easy one," Jim said. "Each of my colleagues has the same commitment to making a difference in their clients' lives as I do. I consider it an incredible honor to continue work for my neighbors and friends in the local area, and one I have never taken for granted over more than 30 years."
