Margaret P. Battersby Black

Margaret P. Battersby Black is the Managing Partner at Levin & Perconti, where she handles complex cases involving medical malpractice, birth injuries, nursing home negligence, and serious personal injury. Known for her trial experience and leadership, Margaret has helped secure numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for her clients, including a $29 million settlement and a $27 million settlement in a preventable birth injury case. Since joining the firm as a law clerk in 2006, Margaret has played a key role in shaping Illinois law to protect injury victims. She won a landmark appellate case that ensured nursing home residents could recover both damages and attorney fees under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. She also achieved a record-setting $4.1 million nursing home abuse verdict—one of the highest in Illinois history. Recognized among Illinois Super Lawyers’ Top 100 and Top 50 Women lists (2024–2025), Margaret has been repeatedly honored for her excellence in advocacy. She received the Carole K. Bellows Women of Influence Award, was named a Notable Woman in Law by Crain’s Chicago Business, and was selected as one of the "40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch" by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Beyond the courtroom, Margaret serves in leadership roles with the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, and the American Association for Justice. She also mentors law students and supports access to justice initiatives. Margaret earned her J.D. with honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law and her B.B.A. from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She lives in Elmhurst with her husband and two children. She offers free consultations and takes cases on a contingency basis.