CRIMINAL DEFENSE · MANAGING ATTORNEY, CHICAGO

Matthew Amarin

Chicago Personal Injury & Civil Rights Attorney

$ 0M

Recovered for Our Clients

Every case built for trial, not for a quick settlement.

ABOUT

Biography

Matthew Amarin

Matthew Amarin is a product of Chicago and its public school system. He graduated from Von Steuben High School in the City's north side, where he was enrolled in the Honor's Program. He played baseball and 16" softball. He made the varsity team as a freshman and was the captain his junior and senior years.

Representing individuals injured as a result of negligence.
Personal Injury
Wrongful Death
Premises Liability
Traumatic Brain Injury
Civil Rights
Criminal Defense
QUICK FACTS

At a Glance

Managing Attorney
Faraj Law — Chicago office
$1M+
Pre-suit settlement, traumatic brain injury case
Top 50
Illinois settlements, 2019 (#35)
8 courts
Admitted across Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, D.C. & the Seventh Circuit
Education
Northeastern Illinois University (BSc, Biology) · WMU Cooley Law School (JD)
Languages
English · Arabic (conversational)
LEGAL CAREER

Legal Career

Prior to joining the Law Offices of Haytham Faraj, Mr. Amarin exclusively represented individuals accused of federal crimes. However, since joining Faraj Law in 2015 he was able to expand his practice to include civil matters. Now he is the managing attorney of Faraj Law's Chicago's office and concentrates on civil cases where he represents individuals who are injured as a result of negligence. This includes a vast variety of cases such as: catastrophic automobile and pedestrian accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, products liability, roadway design defect cases, and civil rights cases. Mr. Amarin and the Faraj Law team have been very successful in prosecuting and representing individuals who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, often referred to as the silent epidemic due to its unnoticeable symptoms. Although Mr. Amarin is based in Illinois, he has handled cases across the country, including: California, Texas, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin.

Mr. Amarin was raised to give back to the community - to ones less fortunate. Soon after earning his license to practice in Illinois, Mr. Amarin began to volunteer his time for the benefit of the Chicago community. He helped judge national moot court competitions held at the Federal Dirksen Building. He volunteered at the Cabrini Green Legal Aid, where he assisted indigent individuals expunge or seal their criminal records. He also volunteered to represent individuals who were in danger of losing their driving privileges due to DUI allegations. To this day he makes sure he takes on at-least one pro bono case a year to help someone who would not otherwise be able to afford an attorney. During the beginning of his career he acted as the co-chairman of the criminal division of the Chicago Bar Association's Young Lawyer's Section. He also has coached the boys varsity 16" softball team at his alma mater, Von Steuben High School, with his former softball coach. During his free time he enjoys playing 16" softball, basketball, and biking. He enjoys traveling with his family and seeing the world through the lens of his young son. Mr. Amarin is a first-generation Jordanian-American and is conversational in Arabic.

IN HIS WORDS

Words from Matthew

I have practiced law since 2012. Thirteen years of depositions, mediations, and trials teach you a lot about winning and losing. They can also teach you to stop listening.

Gerry Spence's Thunderhead Ranch undid that. Twenty-one days in the Wyoming mountains, miles down a dirt road outside Dubois, with no courtroom to hide in and no file to hide behind. No distractions from the outside world. The work there starts with you, not your case. Before anyone talks about openings or cross, you are asked to discover your own story, tell it honestly, and sit with other people while they tell theirs. It is uncomfortable. It is supposed to be. Somewhere in those days I stopped performing and started listening.

I came home with a refreshed love for this job, the kind I had when I started, before the caseload and the fight with insurance companies wore it thin. It changed how I sit with clients. I used to start with the police report and the medical bills. Now I start with the person. I ask who they were before the injury, what they lost, what they are afraid of, what they have not told anyone. Then I wait for the answer. The facts still matter, but the story lives underneath them, and my job is to find it and tell it truthfully. My clients still come to me with pain, injustice, and hope. Now I hear all three.

EDUCATION

Education

Northeastern Illinois University — BSc, Biology
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School — Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Mr. Amarin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Northeastern Illinois University. Following college, Mr. Amarin attended law school in Michigan where he earned his JD. He completed his coursework within just two years and passed the Illinois Bar exam on his first attempt. While in law school Mr. Amarin was a student-attorney at the Washtenaw County Public Defender's Office, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That experience lead to a desire to become a trial attorney and to help the less fortunate. Mr. Amarin excelled academically during law school, earning his way to the Dean's list several times.

COURT ADMISSIONS

Court Admissions

Supreme Court of Illinois

U.S. District Court - Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court - Central District of Illinois

U.S. District Court - Southern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court - Western District of Michigan

U.S. District Court - Northern District of Indiana

U.S. District Court - District of Columbia

U.S. Circuit Court – Seventh Circuit

NOTABLE CASES

Notable Cases

Civil Rights / Fair Housing: $2,525,000 jury verdict, CK v. HOA, N.D. Ill. (2026)

Civil Case – Top 50 Illinois Settlements in 2019 (#35)

Civil Case – 1 million dollar pre-suit settlement for TBI case

Civil Case: $750,000 settlement on disputed liability back injury case

Civil Case: $100,000 settlement on disputed employment case with zero special damages

Criminal Case – Not Guilty Verdict in 22 count sexual assault indictment

Criminal Case – not guilty verdict on unlawful use of a weapon by a felon

Criminal Case – not guilty verdict on unlawful use of a weapon

CASE RESULTS

Settlements & Verdicts

Results from cases Mr. Amarin has handled:

$2,525,000
Fair Housing Violation
Verdict for client against HOA for denying requests for reasonable accommodation based on a disability
$2,100,000
Car Crash
Verdict for client who suffered severe back injuries in a car crash
$2,100,000
Car Crash (Uber)
Settlement for client who was injured while a passenger in an Uber
$2,000,000
Civil Rights Wrongful Death
Settlement against the City of Chicago where officers alleged our client pointed a gun at them
$1,600,000
Compressed Natural Gas Explosion
Settlement for failing to display proper warnings
$1,000,000
Trucking Accident
Settlement in trucking collision
$750,000
Pedestrian Struck
For client who was struck by a vehicle while crossing the road
$500,000
Construction Worker Injured on the Job
Settlement
$250,000
Trucking Accident
Settlement in trucking collision where Defense blamed our client for the collision
$250,000
Slip and Fall
Slip and fall where HOA claimed the floor our client slipped on was not slippery
$250,000
Trucking Accident
Where our client rear-ended a semi-truck parked on the shoulder of the highway
$250,000
Car Crash (Passenger)
For client who was a passenger in his friend's vehicle when he lost control and struck a pole
$180,000
Slip and Fall
Slip and fall where Defendant claimed our client was paying attention
$180,000
Civil Rights Excessive Force
Where police fired a non-lethal weapon striking our client in the stomach
$150,000
Slip and Fall
Settlement for individual slipping on ice while viewing house for sale
$150,000
Defamation
Settlement for officer defamed by supervisor
$150,000
Car Crash
Settlement for client where his vehicle showed minimal damage and he did not get treatment immediately
$100,000
Car Crash
Car crash where Defense claimed our client was not injured
$100,000
Slip and Fall
Slip and fall where apartment complex hired experts claiming it was impossible for our client to have slipped without it completely being her fault
$100,000
Car Crash
Settlement for client where Defense claimed our client did not seek treatment right away
MEMBERSHIPS

Bar Associations & Organizations

Chicago Bar Association (CBA)

Chicago Bar Association: Young Lawyers Section (CBA-YLS)

Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (IACDL)

Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA)

Arab American Bar Association of Illinois (AABAR)

GET STARTED

Schedule a Consultation

Contact us today to discuss your case and how Matthew and the Faraj Law team can help.

Why Referring Attorneys Partner With Us

Proven in Court, Not Just Claims
80+ trial verdicts secured
$500M in cumulative recoveries
Cases against the City of Los Angeles, major corporations, and government defendants. We don't settle to avoid a fight.
Your Client Remains Yours

We take the case, but you keep the relationship. You can expect proactive updates, absolute transparency, and zero ghosting. Most importantly, there are no substitutions—the lawyer who signs the case tries the case.

No junior associate hand-offs
Proactive status updates
Total strategic transparency
We protect your reputation
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