Bhavani Raveendran
Founder & Trial Attorney
Bio
Bhavani K. Raveendran is the founder and lead trial attorney for Raveendran Law LLC. Throughout her career, Bhavani has been committed to holding private and governmental actors accountable when their actions or inactions result in an injury, trauma, or violation of a person’s rights. Bhavani has led trials in both state and federal courts and litigated cases in over 18 states.
During her career, she has been honored to be involved with cases that have made an impact on her clients and the community. These cases have resulted in numerous settlements and verdicts, including one of the largest single-incident civil rights verdicts. In 2024, Bhavani led the trial team that won a historic $98.65 million verdict in Dallas in November 2024 for the shooting death of Botham Jean by former Dallas Police Office Amber Guyger. Bhavani served as a member of the legal team representing the family of George Floyd in the civil lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis and four of its police officers, which resulted in a $27 million settlement in March of 2021. In 2019, Bhavani also contributed to a trial team securing a $21.3 million verdict for a family devastated by a police chase against the City of Chicago.
Bhavani has also secured numerous settlements for her clients who have experienced a sexual assault, harassment, or sexual abuse, including student-athlete involved abuse and hazing scandals, a $500,000 settlement in a case where an employer-hired vendor assaulted her client, and confidential settlements for minor students who were assaulted by trusted adults at their schools.
Bhavani has also worked on and argued appeals for her clients, successfully defending favorable rulings and overturning dismissals. In 2018, Bhavani argued before the 1st Appellate District of Illinois in a sexual abuse case on behalf of a child victim. In its decision, the court ruled that the sexual abuse of a child cannot be considered a “de minimus” or an inconsequential injury. In 2021, Bhavani argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on behalf of a victim who died after a police officer held him in a face-down restraint, regarding whether qualified immunity would apply. In June of 2023, she won two additional appeals in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, as lead and contributing counsel.
Bhavani contributes her time to several legal organizations and to advocacy work, including testifying before Congress to advocate Civil Rights victims, working with the American Association of Justice’s Police Misconduct Litigation Group and Minority Caucus, and working on civil rights and diversity initiatives in Illinois bar associations.
Bhavani’s work has received awards and honors from multiple organizations, including recognition in the alumni magazines of both her undergraduate university and law school. Since 2018, the Law Bulletin Publishing Company has included Bhavani in its Emerging Lawyers list and Illinois Super Lawyers® has included her as a Rising Star. She has also been a The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch© since 2021. The American Association for Justice awarded Bhavani the 2021 Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award and its 2022 Distinguished Service Award.
Before starting her own firm, Bhavani was a partner at a preeminent Chicago personal injury law firm, where she focused her practice on civil rights, police misconduct, prisoner abuse, sexual assault, harassment, and wrongful death. Her previous positions also include working as a civil attorney at McHenry, Illinois firm, Diamond & LeSueur, P.C., a fellowship at DC-based International Rights Advocates, and serving as a student attorney at her law school’s International Human Rights Clinic. As a student, she worked as a legal intern at Torture Abolition and Survivor Coalition International, the Council on American-Islamic Relations Chicago, and the ACLU-Chicago.
Bhavani lives in Chicago, where she loves spending time with her family, friends, dog, and extensive community. She enjoys eating a great sandwich and floating down a river with old friends. She strives to be socially aware and an active member of civil society, despite her desire to continuously rewatch 90s sitcoms.
Education
J.D., American University-Washington College of Law, 2012, cum laude
B.A., Case Western Reserve University, 2009, magna cum laude, with Honors in Political Science
Illinois, 2012
Northern District of Illinois, 2016
Southern District of Illinois, 2016
Central District of Illinois, 2017
Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2016
Northern District of Indiana, 2017
Bar Admissions
Southern District of Indiana, 2017
Federal District of Colorado, 2017
Federal District of North Dakota, 2017
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, 2020
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, 2023
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, 2024
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American Association for Justice (AAJ)
Minority Caucus, Executive Committee Member, 2022-Present, Current Chair-Elect
Police Misconduct Litigation Group, Chairperson, 2019-Present
Civil Rights Section, Executive Committee Member, 2020-2021
National College of Advocacy Board Member, 2023-Present
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
Board of Managers, 2019-2025
Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Co-Chair and Founding Member, 2019- Present
Illinois State Bar Association, Human and Civil Rights Section Council, Member 2019-Present, Council Chair 2022-2023
National Police Accountability Project – Chicago (NPAP), Member
Volunteer with the Sai Spiritual Foundation, Present
Board Member, South Asian Bar Association Chicago Foundation, 2017-2018
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Testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, June 9, 2022
Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award, 2021, American Association of Justice
Featured in Case Western Reserve University Think Magazine, “Righting Society’s Wrongs”, 2022, Link to Article
Featured in American University Washington College of Law Alumni Magazine, “Championing What Matters in Minnesota”, 2022, Link to Article
Featured in Case Western Reserve University Alumni Spotlight, “Finding Resilience and Making A Difference”, 2021, Link to Article
Named one of The Best Lawyers in America®, 2025
Top 10 Personal Injury Verdicts inIllinois in 2023 (Estate of Gunn, et al. v. City of Chicago, et al.), TopVerdict.com, 2024
Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers, Civil Rights, 2024
Notable Women in the Law, Crain’s Business, September 2022.
Distinguished Service Award, 2022, American Association of Justice
Leadership Academy Graduate, 2022, American Association of Justice.
The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®, 2021-2024
Certificate of Recognition, American Association of Justice, 2020, 2021
Top Emerging Women Lawyers, by Law Bulletin Publishing Company 2020, 2022, 2023
Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in Illinois in the year 2019, Carreon v. City of Chicago
Top 50 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in the United States in the year 2019, Carreon v. City of Chicago
Emerging Lawyer, by Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2018-2025
Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers®, 2018-2025
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Ethically Preparing Clients for Litigation, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Presenter, March 2025
The Changing Role of the Civil Jury and its Implications for Practice,Plaintiff-Side Practice Symposium, American Bar Foundation, Panel Participant, March 2025 ABF CJRI Symposium
Trauma Informed Approach to High Profile Cases, Sexual Assault Litigation Group CLE, AAJ, Presenter, February 2025
The current state of racial bias in policing, the challenge of public discussion and the path to change, Romanucci & Blandin Your Bridge to Justice Luncheon, Panelist, October 2024
Forest and the Trees: Training Staff and Associates so you can go on Vacation, AAJ Specialized Track, Presenter, February 2024.
Police Accountability and Mass Incarceration, Boston University Law School, Presenter, April 2024.
Civil Rights, Consumer Protection, & Representing Victims of Abuse, AAJ Law Student Career Panel, Presenter, November 2023
Careers in Civil Rights, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Panelist, September 2023
Unconventional 1983 Claims, AAJ Annual Convention, Presenter, July 2023
Voir Dire: Hot Button Issues: Race, Sex, and Policing, AAJ Voir Dire College, Presenter, May 2023
Qualified Immunity Part I, Illinois State Bar Association, Moderator and Presenter, November 2021
A Dangerous Lack of Clarity, AAJ Trial Magazine, Author, October 2021
Tips for Effective and Inclusive Communication, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Presenter, May 2021
Drafting and Replying to Motions for Summary Judgment, Federal Court Litigation Boot Camp, Presenter, April 2021
The Anatomy of Section 1983 Litigation, Police Misconduct & Qualified Immunity: Reimagining We the People, Panelist, February 2021
Sexual Violence & Race, a Historical & Societal Perspective of Race-Based Sexual Violence, Chicago Bar Association, Panelist, December 2020
8th Amendment – Failure to Provide Medical Care, New Jersey Association for Justice, Presenter, December 2020
What’s Really Reasonable? How to Navigate the Changing Reasonableness Standard and Overcome Qualified Immunity, AAJ Trial Magazine, Co-Author, October 2020
Battling Implicit Bias at Trial, Washington State Association for Justice, Presenter, September 2020
Fundamentals of Litigating Section 1983 Excessive Force, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Co-Presenter, August 2020
Overcoming Jury Bias against the Civil Rights Attorney, AAJ Police Misconduct Litigation Group, Co-Presenter, July 2020
Combatting Human Trafficking Through the Courts, Bradley University, Guest Lecturer, April 2019
Panel on Sex-Trafficking Litigation, I am Jane Doe Screening Panelist, January 2018