Illinois

Trial Lawyer Tom Benno, 57, Is ‘Apocalypto,’ a Pro Wrestler in New Lucha Libre League

Attorney Tom Benno knows his days as Apocalypto are numbered. But at 57 the suburban Chicago trial lawyer hopes for another three years as a professional wrestler, in the Gladiator Aztecs Lucha Libre International league known as GALLI. A melding of traditional American pro wrestling and pure Mexican-style lucha libre,…

Dec 7, 2011 1:38 AM CST

Lawyer Blames Blago for Ethics Complaint Alleging She Showed Off Her Implants

An Illinois lawyer has filed a whistleblower lawsuit blaming the administration of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for ethics charges claiming she showed her bare breasts to co-workers and used state computers to display nude photos of her herself. The lawyer, Tamara Tanzillo, was fired in 2009 from her job…

Dec 6, 2011 5:20 PM CST

Crowell Client Asked in July re Use of Trust Account By Ex-Counsel Now Accused of Stealing

Accused in September of mishandling millions in client trust money, a now-former counsel of Crowell & Moring traveled to Hong Kong and, at last report, was awaiting extradition back to the United States. But a CEO of another Crowell & Moring client says he sent an email to the firm’s…

Dec 2, 2011 7:16 PM CST

Sheriff Calls for Senior Prosecutor to Resign Over His Comments About Child-Murder Case Evidence

In an unusual move, a sheriff in suburban Chicago is calling for a top county prosecutor’s resignation after a Sunday magazine article in the New York Times (reg. req.) reported his thoughts about the evidence in a controversial child rape-murder case. An article in the Chicago Tribune yesterday doesn’t detail…

Dec 2, 2011 1:39 PM CST

Prosecutors Seek 15-to-20-Year Sentence for Blagojevich

Citing the “enormous damage” they said he did to public confidence in state government, federal prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence corrupt former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to between 15 and 20 years in prison. But defense lawyers are seeking leniency for the 54-year-old former governor, saying that he…

Dec 1, 2011 7:08 PM CST

Attorney Whose Law Firm Paid for Lavish Home Bath Remodel Gets Time in $466K Forgery Case

Corrected: An Illinois attorney who was found guilty of forging checks and taking $466,000 from his law firm’s account for his own personal use was sentenced yesterday to a 42-month prison term. Steven D. Gustafson, 47, was guilty of one of the oldest sins in the book, greed, said DuPage…

Nov 29, 2011 10:22 PM CST

Lawyer Accused of Seeking Secretary with ‘Benefits’ Gets One-Year Suspension

An Illinois lawyer accused of telling an applicant for a secretarial position that the job included “sexual interaction” has been suspended for one year. The Illinois Supreme Court issued the order of suspension for Samir Zia Chowhan, the Legal Profession Blog reports. According to a hearing panel’s report, Chowhan posted…

Nov 29, 2011 4:21 PM CST

7th Circuit Nixes Class Action Over Junk Faxes, Criticizes How Plaintiffs’ Counsel Obtained Clients

Reversing a trial court’s green light for a would-be class action, a federal court of appeals yesterday nixed the expansion of a case over junk faxes. In doing so, the court criticized the way Chicago-based Bock & Hatch lined up clients for the case, Reuters reports. Promising confidentiality to a…

Nov 23, 2011 6:52 PM CST

Personal Injury Law Firm Is Reportedly Making Layoffs After Reversal in Once-Winning $43M Case

A downstate Illinois law firm reportedly has made “significant” employee layoffs, according to a local government official, after the reversal by the state supreme court several months ago of a $43 million verdict in a case against Ford Motor Co. The blow is one of several suffered in recent years…

Nov 23, 2011 12:28 AM CST

Man Convicted of Murdering His Ex-Lawyer Is Sentenced to Life in Prison

A Chicago-area man has been sentenced to life in prison for the suffocation death of his one-time lawyer. Terry Bratcher was convicted in September of killing 82-year-old Carl Kuhn while robbing the former lawyer’s home with an accomplice. A judge in suburban DuPage County sentenced Bratcher on Monday, report the…

Nov 22, 2011 5:37 PM CST

Tootsie Roll Sues Footzyroll, Claims Likelihood of Confusion Between Candy Bar and Soft Shoe Brand

At first glance, a soft, roll-up slipper might not seem likely to be confused with a famous candy bar brand. But the Footzyrolls made by Rollashoes not only free-ride on the more than 100-year-old Tootsie Roll Industries name but might well be thought to be an affiliated product, contends a…

Nov 21, 2011 9:44 PM CST

Chicago Lawyer Sues Southwest, Says Airline Breached Free-Drink Coupon Contract

Updated: Readers holding free-drinks coupons from Southwest Airlines Co. might want to keep them on hand. Although the airline revised its policy in August of last year, notifying customers that such coupons would be honored only on the day of the flight after August 2011, a Chicago lawyer is challenging…

Nov 17, 2011 5:49 PM CST

DNA Test Wins New Trial for 4 Jailed as Teens in Murder Case, But Top Chicago Prosecutor Has Doubts

A top Chicago prosecutor said she wasn’t convinced by DNA evidence that excluded four convicted men and seemingly pointed to a convicted murderer as the culprit in the 1994 strangulation slaying of a prostitute in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. “DNA evidence in and of itself is not always…

Nov 16, 2011 10:16 PM CST

Chicago ‘Fathers’ Rights’ Attorney Is Representing Mom in Paternity Claim Against Justin Bieber

A Chicago lawyer well-known locally for his “fathers’ rights” advertising has taken on a celebrity case … for a mom who says teen singer Justin Bieber is the father of her baby boy. Although Mariah Yeater has dismissed without prejudice her San Diego Superior Court suit against Bieber, it could…

Nov 16, 2011 9:01 PM CST

Ex-BigLaw Associate Completes Cross-Country Trek with His Dog, Mabel, Ponders the Future

A former restructuring associate at Sidley Austin’s office in Chicago has been restructuring his own life over the past year, as he walked, with his dog, Mabel, from Delaware to a dog beach in California. Occasionally, he accepted a ride, generally for safety considerations, although he turned down most offers…

Nov 14, 2011 11:45 PM CST