Illinois

Panel Seeks Disbarment of Harvard Law Grad and Ex-BigLaw Partner Who Lied on Child’s School Aid App

Things went from bad to worse for a Harvard Law School graduate who lost his job at a BigLaw firm in 1991 and subsequently lied about family income on a Chicago private school application so that his daughter would get financial aid there. Somehow, Illinois attorney discipline authorities got wind…

Aug 24, 2011 12:11 AM CDT

Lawsuit Claims Woman Ended Up in Hospital After Walk-In Bathtub Failed to Drain

A Western Illinois woman claims she ended up in a hospital and then a nursing home because of a mishap in her new walk-in bathtub that left her soaking for too long. The suit claims the woman, Anna Cullen, was stuck in the water for 30 hours, resulting in “significant…

Aug 16, 2011 1:06 PM CDT

Prosecutor Says Lawyer Tried to Get One Client, Who Owed Legal Fees, to Take Contract Hit on Another

An Illinois lawyer accused of trying to arrange a contract hit on a former client allegedly approached five individuals, including a client who owed him money for attorney’s fees, seeking to arrange a contract hit on an ex-client, according to a federal prosecutor. But the contract was never executed, and…

Aug 10, 2011 11:01 PM CDT

Husband’s Perseverance Helps Wife and Son Win OK to Return Home to US, Six Years Early

After his wife and son had to return to Poland four years ago, because she had fallen afoul of United States immigration law and been banned from this country for 10 years, Tony Wasilewski went into something of a tailspin. Jobs are scarce, so he stayed here to run the…

Aug 9, 2011 1:59 PM CDT

Boy, 11, Takes Plea in Mom’s Shooting Death, Asks Judge If He Can Have a Gun Again Later On in Life

Initially charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his mother, an 11-year-old Illinois boy pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree murder. The unidentified youth expressed no remorse in yesterday’s juvenile court hearing over the death of Brenda Schaad, 39, reports the Journal Courier. It occurred earlier this month as…

Aug 9, 2011 12:14 PM CDT

Blawg Review #314: LawLawpalooza 2011

We at ABAJournal.com are honored to be asked to host Blawg Review—“a blog carnival for everyone interested in law”— in conjunction with the 2011 ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto. We are not actually blawgging from Canada—as usual, we are in Chicago taking the el train into the office over the…

Aug 8, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

Young Divorce Lawyer Allegedly Paid for Hit on Ex-Client, After Getting Involved With His Ex-Wife

A young Illinois lawyer who had seemingly bright career prospects is being held without bond after allegedly making a $7,000 down payment on a $20,000 contract to kill his girlfriend’s ex-husband. Jason Smiekel, 29, was federally charged with plotting murder for hire after allegedly giving the money on Thursday to…

Aug 8, 2011 2:25 PM CDT

Attorney Married to Hef’s Daughter to Pay $168K to Settle SEC Insider-Trading Case re Playboy Stock

Warned by his wife and the company’s general counsel not to trade in shares of Playboy stock, attorney William Marovitz, who has been married since 1995 to Christie Hefner, a former Playboy Enterprises Inc. CEO and the daughter of company founder Hugh Hefner, did so anyway. The result was a…

Aug 3, 2011 7:34 PM CDT

Assistant State’s Attorney Starting Pay May Jump from $40K to $53K in One Chicago Burb

Government entities are belt-tightening throughout the country, but there’s good news for young lawyers in one suburban Chicago location. Saying that he’s tired of seeing seasoned prosecutors move to other collar counties with higher pay and lower caseloads, the Kane County State’s Attorney is proposing to raise starting salaries in…

Aug 2, 2011 11:36 PM CDT

Suits Seek a Right to Carry Guns in Public, Setting Up a New Supreme Court Showdown

Supporters of gun rights are filing suits claiming a constitutional right to carry firearms in public, paving the way for a new Second Amendment showdown in the U.S. Supreme Court. The suits are among scores of lawsuits challenging everything from age restrictions on carrying guns outside the home to permit…

Aug 1, 2011 12:50 PM CDT

Daniel Rodriguez, Former ‘Transformative Dean’ at San Diego, to Take Helm at Northwestern Law

A former law dean at the University of San Diego who is presently on the law faculty at the University of Texas will soon take the helm at Northwestern University School of Law. Daniel Rodriguez will start his position as NU’s new law dean on Jan. 1, the National Law…

Jul 27, 2011 4:59 PM CDT

Lawyer Accused of Harassing Employee, Asking Her to Wear Swimsuit to the Office

Already defending legal ethics charges because of his alleged sexual harassment of six women, including four employees, a Chicago class action lawyer is now facing additional accusations concerning his treatment of a female associate. An amended complaint against Paul Weiss filed by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission says…

Jul 26, 2011 6:33 PM CDT

Ex-Law Dean at Kaplan Gets 1 Year for Sending Threatening Internet Messages

A former law dean at Kaplan Inc. has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison for sending threatening messages concerning the online educational institution and its chief executive officer. Bennie Wilcox, 45, maintained that he did not send the 2007 emails and Internet postings at issue…

Jul 22, 2011 6:41 PM CDT

Suspended Lawyer Found Dead After Failing to Appear for Sentencing in Mail-Fraud Case

Updated: Scheduled to be in federal court in East St. Louis for sentencing today at 9 a.m. in a mail fraud case, an Illinois attorney sent his lawyer a fax at 8 a.m. saying he wouldn’t be there. The judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Dennis Nalick, 63,…

Jul 21, 2011 7:02 PM CDT

3 Lawyers, Worker’s Comp Arbitrator Face Disciplinary Cases re Claimed ‘Ex Parte Party’

A former Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission arbitrator and three lawyers are facing legal ethics charges concerning alleged misconduct characterized by the Legal Profession Blog as an “ex parte party.” Plus, in addition to allegedly sending ex parte emails to three lawyers on one side of worker’s comp cases without copying…

Jul 19, 2011 6:52 PM CDT