Illinois

Record $10M Chicago Law Grad Gift Will Fund 60 Full-Tuition Merit Scholarships

Sixty students at the University of Chicago Law School will have their tuition paid in full thanks to a record $10 million gift from a 1973 graduate who himself got a full scholarship for his legal education there. The donation by David Rubenstein, 61, who is now a university trustee,…

Sep 8, 2010 6:46 PM CDT

Adult Content Producers File Mass Tort Against Alleged Downloaders

Another lawyer has waded into the mass tort fray over alleged illegal downloading of copyrighted material. Attorney John Steele of Chicago is representing three adult content producers in separate federal court claims against hundreds of unidentified “John Doe” individuals accused of using BitTorrent to pirate material created by the plaintiffs,…

Sep 7, 2010 5:22 PM CDT

Pipe Fitter Who Claimed Coworkers Harassed Him Wins $4.2M Against Chrysler

A Jewish employee at an Illinois Chrysler assembly plant, who alleges he experienced religious and ethnic harassment at work, won a $4.2 million federal jury verdict this week. Otto May, who was born in Cuba, claimed that coworkers regularly commented about his birth country, damaged tires on his vehicle and…

Sep 3, 2010 4:05 PM CDT

3 Seyfarth Partners Form New Suburban Firm to Offer ‘Lower Cost’ Alternative

In the latest example of a snowballing trend among BigLaw attorneys, three partners at Seyfarth Shaw have left the well-known Chicago-based firm to establish a smaller suburban firm that will, they say, offer clients quality corporate legal services for less. “We are establishing this suburban-based firm in order to significantly…

Sep 1, 2010 10:03 PM CDT

Holdout Juror in Blagojevich Case Says Evidence Showed ‘Shades of Gray’

JoAnn Chiakulas was not favorably impressed with impeached ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, finding him “narcissistic” and “rambling.” But the 67-year-old grandmother nonetheless stood her ground during 14 days of jury deliberation in his political corruption trial, refusing, reportedly as the sole holdout, to find him guilty on 23 of the…

Aug 27, 2010 5:49 PM CDT

Northwestern Law Dean Van Zandt Gets New Gig as President of New York’s New School

David Van Zandt, a ABA Journal Legal Rebel who has served as the dean of Northwestern University’s law school for well over a decade will be stepping down at the end of the year to take a new job as president of the New School in Manhattan. The eclectic New…

Aug 26, 2010 10:22 PM CDT

Auctioned Blagojevich Items Included Attorney-Client Papers

A librarian at Rod Blagojevich’s alma mater, Northwestern University, says he has found confidential attorney-client papers in 18 boxes of files, photos and videotapes he purchased in an auction. Librarian Jeffrey Garrett tells the Associated Press that the confidential files were from Blagojevich’s days as a practicing lawyer. Garrett bought…

Aug 26, 2010 12:57 PM CDT

Chicago Suburb Won’t Ban Eye-Rolling After All

People who roll their eyes will be safe from ejection from city council meetings in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst. A proposed revision of the municipal code clarifies the kind of disorderly conduct that can lead to ouster, and nonverbal action—including eye rolling—isn’t on the list of banned conduct, according…

Aug 26, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Public Defenders Often are Just as Effective as Private Counsel, Study Says

A study of Chicago-area courts found that public defenders often are just as effective as private lawyers in persuading judges to grant bail, accept plea bargains and sentence defendants appropriately. But for some defendants, the study found, retaining a private lawyer may be money well-spent, according to Miller-McCune. The bimonthly…

Aug 26, 2010 12:24 AM CDT

Condo Owners with Religious Objections to Tree-Killing Risk Losing Unit

A Chicago-area mother and daughter risk losing their condo in a tax sale because of their objections to an alley paving project that violated their religious beliefs. Padma Rao and her 72-year-old mother refused to pay the $635 tax assessment for the 2007 project, resulting in a legal fight that…

Aug 19, 2010 2:06 PM CDT

Washington Post Editorial Writers Side with Blagojevich Lawyers

The Washington Post is in agreement with lawyers for Rod Blagojevich on at least one point. In an editorial published today, the Post says the former Illinois governor should not be retried. According to the Post, Blagojevich’s conviction on just one count was “an extraordinary rebuke” to U.S. Attorney Patrick…

Aug 19, 2010 12:26 PM CDT

Teen Claims School Violated ADA by Barring Basketball with Service Dog

A Chicago area teen claims in a lawsuit that her high school violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it barred her from playing basketball with the help of her service dog. Jenny Youngwith, 17, has a respiratory disorder and other disabilities, and her dog, Simba, totes two oxygen tanks…

Aug 19, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Turow Links Blagojevich Verdict and ‘Hypocritical Mess’ of Campaign Finance

Legal thriller author Scott Turow sees a connection between Rod Blagojevich’s conviction on just one count of lying to the FBI and “the hypocritical mess our campaign financing system has become.” Jurors were split on the other 23 counts in the political corruption trial, with just one holdout refusing to…

Aug 18, 2010 11:43 AM CDT

Jury Verdict in Blagojevich Political Corruption Case: Guilty Only of Lying to FBI

After two weeks of deliberation, a federal jury in Chicago has reached a verdict in the political corruption trial against impeached former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. In a result that surely must be a disappointment to prosecutors, he has been found guilty only of one count—lying to the FBI, according…

Aug 17, 2010 9:21 PM CDT

Think the Mortgage Meltdown Has Made All Lenders Warier? Think Again

Despite the much-publicized mortgage meltdown of recent years, some lenders apparently still haven’t learned their lesson. In a decimated neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, homes have been selling lately for around $350,000. But simply driving by and looking at the boarded-up older homes that can be seen throughout…

Aug 17, 2010 7:57 PM CDT