James R. Cantalin
Top rated Personal Injury attorney in Saint Louis, Missouri
Brown & Crouppen, P.C.
Practice areas: Personal Injury; view more
Licensed in Missouri since: 1992
Education: Saint Louis University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2006 James R. Cantalin has focused his practice exclusively on plaintiff’s personal injury and wrongful death litigation since joining the firm of Brown & Crouppen, P.C., in March 2013. From the firm’s office in St. Louis, Missouri, he represents clients throughout the state. Admitted to practice before all Missouri state courts since 1992, Mr. Cantalin is also admitted to practice in Illinois and thus is able to assist clients in that state as well.
Prior to moving to Brown & Crouppen, P.C., Mr. Cantalin worked at a firm that provided defense representation to insurance companies and their policy holders in personal injury claims. That experience has proven to be valuable, as it enables him to often anticipate the types of tactics that he might face now that his client base is made up of people who have been harmed due to the negligence or recklessness of other parties. The cases that he has worked on since that time have arisen out of incidents involving medical malpractice, truck and other motor vehicle crashes, defective products, premises liability and workplace accidents.
Since he started representing plaintiffs, Mr. Cantalin has been able to recover significant amounts of compensation on their behalf through jury awards at the end of trials as well as his negotiation of favorable settlement agreements with defendants and their liability insurance providers. His successful track record has rightfully earned him a great deal of positive recognition from his fellow members of the bar, including an AV Preeminent* peer review rating through Martindale-Hubbell and other honors. A 1992 graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, he is a member of several professional associations.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: PlaintiffFocus areas
Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death
- 100% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 1992, Missouri
Professional Webpage: https://www.brownandcrouppen.com/attorneys/jim-cantalin/
Bar / Professional Activity
- Past President of the Lawyers Association of St. Louis., 2007
- The Missouri Bar Association, 2020
- Member of The Lawyers Association of St. Louis, 2020
- Member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, 2020
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Recovered $312,500 for pedestrian hit by vehicle while crossing Kingshighway at night. , 2020
- Recovered $500,000 for client who sustained a traumatic brain injury in St. Louis County intersection crash. , 2020
- Recovered $650,000 for man injured in intersection crash in Madison County, Illinois., 2020
- Settled personal injury case for passenger in a single vehicle crash that occurred on 6/21/2015 on southbound Highway 55 in the City of St. Louis. Driver lost control while driving on highway and crashed into guardrail. The guardrail penetrated vehicle and struck passenger's leg resulting in a very serious bruise. The injury was complicated due to infection requiring surgery to debride wound. Left passenger with a scar on her leg. Settled with the driver for the $100,000 policy limits. Also, settled with the Missouri Department of Transportation for the limits of statutorily capped limits of $414,418. Total settlement was $514,418, 2017
- Settled motor vehicle crash for $1.1 Million policy limits. Client Corey Randle's vehicle broke down on roadway. As he was exiting his vehicle to check under the hood, his vehicle was rear-ended and struck him. He sustained a traumatic brain injury, broken leg with open reduction and internal fixation, along with neck and back pain. Venue: St. Louis County, Missouri, 2017
- On February 25, 2016, client was driving on a two lane road in Randolph County, Illinois, when another vehicle crossed the center lane and sideswiped client's vehicle. Client sustained fractured left wrist requiring surgery, multiple rib fractures and a lacerated spleen. Case settled pre-suit for $325,000, 2017
- Settled motor vehicle crash for $325,00. On 2/15/2017, client was driving east in the left lane on highway 70 in Boone County, Missouri, when another vehicle attempted to pass him on the right and cut back into the left lane. When the other vehicle changed lanes in front of client, client lost control, went off road and crashed. Client sustained multiple orthopedic injuries requiring surgery. There was no contact between client's vehicle and other vehicle. Liability was disputed, 2017
- On January 20, 2016, client was being transported by Marion County Sheriff's Department, when the driver of the Sheriff's van crossed from the northbound lanes of Highway 57 into the southbound lanes and was hit by a tractor trailer. Cause of crash was "weather" and "improper lane usage." Location was Jefferson County, Illinois. 17-year-old passenger in the van broke his right foot, skin graft, non-displace lumbar spine fractures and laceration to spleen without treatment. Case was settled pre-suit for $425,000, 2017
- Karen Kallemeier vs. Jennifer Hausman and Geico Insurance Company. $250,000 settlement. Karen was a passenger in a single vehicle crash in which driver Jennifer Hausman was allegedly run off road by a phantom vehicle. We settled with Hausman for the $100,000 policy limits. We settled with GEICO for the $100,000 uninsured motorist limits for the phantom vehicle and we settled with Nationwide for $50,000 Underinsured Coverage for a total of $250,000. Karen sustained broken collar bone with open reduction and internal fixation and about $35,000 in paid medical bills, 2016
Pro bono / Community Service
- Supporter of the Arch City Defenders., 2020
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Frequent guest on the John Carney "Johnny Law" Show on KTRS 550. , 2020
- Best Lawyers of American., 2010
- AV Peer Review Rated for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability by Martindale-Hubbell.
Honors
- Super Lawyers, 2005, 2006
- I was recognized by the Missouri Lawyers Weekly in 2025 as a Law Firm Leader., Law Firm Leader, Missouri Lawyers Award, 2025
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2005 - 2006
