Gerry D. Ring

Gerry Ring is of counsel at Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C. Prior to his retirement from full-time practice in 2018, Gerry was the head of the Firm’s litigation group. He is currently of counsel at the Firm. Gerry has over 35 years of courtroom experience dealing with will and trust litigation as well as business disputes. Mr. Ring has an “AV Preeminent” rating, the highest available, from Martindale-Hubbell and a “superb” rating from Avvo. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers in years 2005 and 2013 to 2015 for his work in litigation and was recommended by his peers, and approved by the Leading Lawyers Advisory Board, as a Leading Lawyer for 2022. In 2015, Mr. Ring won a bench trial in the Chancery Division of Cook County, Illinois which resulted in the transfer of over $17 million in trust assets to a new trust with a new trustee for the benefit of his client. That same year, he was engaged as trust counsel in a hotly contested divorce proceeding and obtained a judgment ordering a co-trustee to transfer $3.2 million from a charitable trust to a national university of his client’s choosing.

Mr. Ring’s trust and estate litigation experience includes will contests, proceedings to construe or reform wills and trusts, and breach of fiduciary duty actions. He represents individual and corporate trustees, and beneficiaries. His business litigation experience includes actions relating to covenants-not-to-compete, trade secrets, shareholder disputes, real estate lease disputes, and bankruptcy.

Mr. Ring has made numerous Continuing Legal Education presentations to attorneys that have been approved for credit by the MCLE Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois, including presentations on drafting post-employment restrictions, the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, depositions, and landlord-tenant law.

Mr. Ring served as a faculty advisor for The John Marshall Law School Trial Advocacy Competition, sponsored by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, from 1992 through 1998. He authored an article for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education entitled “Liquidation and Reorganization in Landlord/Tenant Relationships,” and lectured for Lorman Educational Services.

Mr. Ring received his J.D., with high honors, from The John Marshall Law School in 1986, where he was awarded the Order of John Marshall and served as a staff editor of The John Marshall Law Review. He is a member of the Federal Trial Bar. He was elected a member of the Board of Education, Palos Consolidated School District 118 from 1994 to1995 and again for the 2001–2004 term and is currently a fundraiser for the District 118 Educational Foundation. 

Gerry Ring has almost 30 years of courtroom experience dealing with will and trust disputes. He recently won a bench trial in the Chancery Division of Cook County, Illinois which resulted in the transfer of over $17 million in trust assets to a new trust with a new trustee. He also obtained an order in a contested divorce proceeding directing the transfer of $3.2 million from a charitable trust to a national university over the co-trustee’s objection.

Gerry, along with Karen MacKay from the firm’s Wealth and Succession Planning Group, have together represented beneficiaries, as well as corporate and individual executors and trustees, in litigation to construe wills and trusts, to prosecute or defend actions involving allegations based on lack of capacity and undue influence, to petition the court to reform wills or trusts, and in proceedings to institute or defend citations to recover assets. 

Gerry and Karen understand that trust and estate litigation often involves complicated family dynamics that, if ignored, can prolong and intensify the underlying dispute. They are sensitive to such dynamics when planning for litigation or settlement, and endeavor to move litigation swiftly through court to facilitate an early resolution or settlement.

• AV Rating Martindale-Hubbell (lawyers.com)
• Leading Lawyers for 2022
• Super Lawyers 2005 and 2013–2015 (superlawyers.com)
• Avvo.com Rating "superb" (avvo.com)
• Lorman Educational Services, distinguished faculty
• Order of John Marshall, 1986

• Gerry was elected a member of the Board of Education, Palos Consolidated School District 118 from 1994 to1995 and again for the 2001–2004 term and is currently a fundraiser for the District 118 Educational Foundation.