Mike Glisson is a personal injury and wrongful death trial lawyer based in Alton, Illinois. He represents injured people and grieving families in Madison, St. Clair, Jersey, Macoupin, and Sangamon counties, and he is admitted in Missouri as well, which matters in a river region where daily life crosses the state line.
He has practiced since 1996 and has argued before the Illinois Appellate Courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the Illinois Supreme Court.
To talk with Mike directly, call +1 (618) 462-1077 or schedule a free consultation. Representation is on contingency, so a fee is owed only out of a recovery.
What kinds of cases does Mike Glisson handle?
Serious injury and death caused by someone else's carelessness. In practice that means vehicle collisions, including car, semi-truck, and motorcycle crashes; claims brought by families after a fatal accident; injuries caused by unsafe property; and dog attacks.
He has also handled insurance coverage disputes, which is a different kind of fight than a negligence case and comes up more often than people expect when an insurer denies a claim it should have paid.
Cases that need a courtroom get one. Mike has tried cases to verdict in Illinois and Missouri and has carried matters through multiple levels of appeal when a trial court got it wrong.
Credentials and admissions
| Position | Partner, Glisson Law |
| Law school | Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., 1996 |
| Bar admissions | Illinois (1996), Missouri (1998) |
| Federal courts | U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois; U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit |
| Professional memberships | American Association for Justice (AAJ), Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) |
| Bar leadership | Alton-Wood River Bar Association, Past President |
| Advanced training | AAJ Ultimate Trial Advocacy Course, Harvard University |
| Office | 111 East Fourth Street, Suite 400, Alton, IL 62002 |
The American Association for Justice and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association are membership organizations for attorneys who represent injured people rather than insurance companies. Neither is a certification, and Illinois does not recognize specialty certification in personal injury law.
The courts where he appears regularly
His home venues are the Third Judicial Circuit in Edwardsville, which serves Madison County, and the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in Belleville, which serves St. Clair County. He also appears in Sangamon County in Springfield, where the firm keeps a second office, and in surrounding downstate circuits.
Appellate work is a real part of the practice rather than a line on a resume. In one matter before the Illinois Supreme Court, Mike represented an injured worker through several levels of appeal in a case that addressed how semi-truck drivers are classified for employment purposes.
Knowing a courthouse changes the practical decisions in a case: which judge is likely to hear a motion, how a particular circuit schedules trial dates, and what the local defense bar tends to do when a case is genuinely prepared for trial.
Have a case in Madison or St. Clair County? Call +1 (618) 462-1077 for a free case review.
Experience across the range of injury cases
Since 1996 Mike has handled matters involving fatal highway collisions, permanent workplace injuries, drunk driving deaths, dog attacks causing permanent scarring, negligent security, and falls caused by hazards property owners knew about and left in place.
Several were unusual. He handled a case arising from a tour bus collision with an overturned semi at highway speed, an insurance coverage fight on behalf of a professional football player denied surgery, and a matter that drew national press coverage involving a drowning and lifeguard supervision.
The through-line across all of it is a preference for building cases as though they will be tried, which tends to produce better resolutions whether or not they end up in front of a jury.
You can review the firm's verdicts and settlements we have recovered and read what our clients say. Past case outcomes depend on the specific facts of each matter and do not predict the result of any other case.
Alton roots and community work
Mike was born and raised in Springfield, Illinois, and has built his practice and his life in the Riverbend. He is married to Kimberly, a schoolteacher, and they have four children.
His community involvement has been steady rather than ceremonial. He currently serves on the board of the Alton Crisis Food Center and previously served two terms, six years, on the board of the American Red Cross Southwestern Illinois Chapter.
He has mentored through Big Brothers Big Sisters, continuing the relationship from the time his match was eight years old into adulthood, and has participated in the Bethalto Schools mentoring program, a book drive for the Glen Ed Food Pantry, an eleven-year run on a fundraising committee for the Alton Catholic Children's Home, the Pride Bucket Brigade, and YMCA youth coaching.
That history is worth mentioning for one practical reason. Jurors in Madison County are neighbors, and a lawyer who has spent decades in the same community shows up in that courtroom as a known quantity.
Questions people ask about working with Mike Glisson
Does Mike Glisson handle my type of case?
If you were seriously hurt or lost a family member because of another party's negligence, likely yes. He takes vehicle collisions, wrongful death, premises injuries, and dog attacks. Three areas fall outside this practice: nursing home matters, malpractice, and claims involving property damage alone. You will hear that on the first call rather than weeks later.
Which counties does he practice in?
Madison, St. Clair, Jersey, Macoupin, Bond, Monroe, Greene, Calhoun, and Sangamon counties in Illinois, plus Missouri matters through his Missouri admission. The Alton office covers the Riverbend and Metro East; the Springfield office covers Sangamon County and the surrounding area.
What does a consultation cost?
Nothing, and no obligation comes attached to it. Representation is on contingency, so a fee exists only where there is a recovery to take it from. Retainers and hourly billing are not part of how these cases work, and the initial conversation is free whether or not Mike ends up taking the case.
Will Mike personally be involved in my case, or will it be handed off?
Glisson Law is a small firm, and the attorney who evaluates a case is generally the attorney still handling it later. Other lawyers and staff work on files as needed, which is normal and often faster for the client, but you will know who is responsible for your case and you will be able to reach that person.
How do I reach him directly?
Call the Alton office at +1 (618) 462-1077 or email mike@glissonlaw.com. If you are calling after hours or from out of state, use the contact form and someone will follow up.
Start with a conversation
Most people who call have never hired a lawyer and are not sure whether they need one now. That is a reasonable place to start from, and it usually takes one phone call to sort out.
Mike will tell you what he thinks your situation looks like, including when he thinks you do not need a lawyer at all.
Call +1 (618) 523-9970, or stop by the office at 111 East Fourth Street, Suite 400 in downtown Alton.