Charles Cronauer
Founder, Of Counsel Attorney
The founder of the firm and a fixture of Sycamore's legal community, he has spent decades shaping how Illinois injury law is practiced.
Our Firm
Real attorneys. Real results. Since 2011.
Cronauer Law is a family-built personal injury firm with more than 50 years of combined trial experience standing up for injured Illinoisans against insurance companies, negligent employers, and corporate defendants. We take the cases other firms won’t, and we win them.
Our Story
A family firm built on one promise.
The Cronauer family has stood up for injured Illinoisans from Sycamore for decades, on one simple idea: that ordinary people deserve a lawyer who will fight as hard for them as the insurance companies fight against them.
In 2011, a new generation took the reins and carried that mission forward. Today, spanning three generations of trial lawyers with over 50 years of combined experience, Cronauer Law has recovered over $200 million for injured clients, including one of the largest single-claim settlements in the United States.
We are not a settlement mill. We prepare every case as if it will go to trial, because that is exactly what makes insurance companies pay full value. When the carrier won’t do right by you, we are ready to take them to a jury.
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Recovered for Clients
More than $200 million won through settlements and verdicts for the injured people and families we represent.
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Largest Single Settlement
A single-claim settlement ranked among the Top 10 nationally. Proof we can take on the biggest defendants and win.
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Years of Combined Experience
A family firm rooted in Sycamore, led today by three generations of trial lawyers who know Illinois courts inside and out.
Meet Our Team
Three Generations of Trial Lawyers
Nicholas Cronauer
Managing Attorney
Leads the firm's litigation, taking on insurance companies and corporate defendants in the courtroom and at the negotiating table.
Bradley Melzer
Illinois Attorney
Represents injured Illinoisans across personal injury and wrongful death matters with a relentless, detail-driven approach.
Ross Brennan
Texas Attorney
Extends the firm's reach into Texas, fighting for injured clients with the same standards Cronauer Law was built on.
What Clients Say
People we’ve helped.
What Sets Us Apart
How we work, and why it wins.
Trial-ready, always.
We prepare every case for the courtroom. Insurers pay more when they know your lawyer will try the case, and has the verdicts to prove it.
We fight insurance companies.
Adjusters lowball people without lawyers. We level the field, demand full value, and force carriers to pay what you're actually owed.
No fee unless we win.
No retainer. No hourly bill. Our fee comes from the recovery, and only if we win. If we don't recover, you owe us nothing.
Bilingual & accessible.
Free, confidential consultations in English or Spanish. We answer your questions in plain language, never legalese.
Honest from day one.
We tell you the truth about your case, even when it isn't what you hoped to hear. No false promises, no pressure.
The cases others won't take.
Catastrophic injuries, complex liability, deep-pocketed defendants. We take the hard cases, and we win them.
Visit Us
Three Offices. One Firm.
Serving Illinois and Texas. Free, confidential consultations in English or Spanish.
Free Case Evaluation
Let’s talk about your case.
Tell us what happened. We’ll give you a free, honest assessment, no obligation, no pressure. You pay nothing unless we win.
Call 24/7 · Free(815) 895-8585
100% Free · No Obligation · No Fee Unless We Win