Alexis Ferracuti
Alexis Ferracuti is the managing partner with The Law Offices of Peter F. Ferracuti, P.C., an Illinois law firm that specializes primarily in personal injury and workers’ compensation, but also represents clients with civil claims and medical malpractice cases. Founded by her father, Peter F. Ferracuti, in 1954, it has the distinction of being one of the original law firms in Illinois. Now, 66 years later, Alexis leads the firm in its unwavering mission to make a difference in people’s lives. “We fight for what’s right because as a society, we have to stick together. We don’t treat anyone like clients. Everyone is a member of the family,” she shares.
From its humble beginnings six decades ago, the firm is now a multimillion-dollar family office with a staff of 20 that serves clients statewide, from Springfield to Chicago. Specializing in workers’ compensation and auto accidents, she is a fierce advocate for her clients—winning over 90% of the cases that she’s tried, with awarded settlements or verdicts ranging from $25,000 to $1 million. Her family motto at the firm is what she believes sets her apart. Advocacy isn’t about just fighting for what’s right but being present and available through every step of the process. “All my clients have my personal cell and can reach me at any time.”
Alexis’s passion for law began when she was just seven years old, in Ottawa, spending afternoons watching her father work with clients. She recalls the pivotal encounter that set the legal fire in her. “I watched my dad talk to one of his clients who couldn’t afford winter coats for his kids because he was without workers compensation pay at that time. My dad and I decided we should share my coat with this man, and then we helped them obtain more coats for the other children in his family,” she shares. “When my dad settled that case, the client said that because of him, they were able to keep their family together. I knew at that moment that I wanted to do what my dad did—make a difference in people’s lives. That is what makes us different.”
With that scene driving her, Alexis raced through the path to her law degree. After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science and a minor in Spanish, she received a Presidential Scholarship Award to New England School of Law. She obtained her law degree in 2014, passed the bar that same year—on her first attempt—and at just 24 years old, began practicing at her father’s firm.
In her first two years as a practicing attorney, she won a $2 million settlement on behalf of a small child. When her father retired in 2015, she assumed the role of managing partner to continue his legacy of helping people. “My dad never did it for the money. There is no amount of money to make up for what people lose and go through during times of injury both emotionally and physically, but our job as attorneys is to at least help make their lives a little easier,” she says.
The firm’s commitment to helping people extends beyond the walls of the practice. The firm has always been a strong union supporter providing advice and services to many unions throughout the State of Illinois and helping those they serve to obtain benefits through their unions and employers as deserved by each individual in our state. As a major sponsor for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention since 2012, the firm’s entire staff serves as volunteers, and Alexis has acted as walk chair since 2015 for the LaSalle County Walk, where she lives, and has lived her entire life. When a tornado hit a neighboring town in 2017, her firm provided for the victims, free legal help with insurance and Alexis coordinated all volunteer efforts and was the president of the tornado recovery coordinating donations, funding, and efforts to rebuild her community. The firm also participates in Make-A-Wish each winter, and Alexis took part in the Penguin Plunge this year. Community service clearly falls right in line with the firm values, and she considers herself fortunate to have a supportive staff family who is willing to follow her into whatever project she volunteers for next.
Alexis Ferracuti
Managing Partner — The Law Offices of Peter F. Ferracuti, P.C.
https://www.peterferracuti.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexis-ferracuti-7201911b/