Illinois

Ex-BigLaw Associate Faces Ethics Case Over Alleged Nonpayment of $78K Student Loan

A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School who was being paid over $200,000 a year as an associate at DLA Piper in 2009 is facing a legal ethics complaint that alleges he failed to pay his guaranteed student loan debt. Olufemi Nicol, 42, is accused of bad-faith avoidance…

Jul 29, 2010 9:14 PM CDT

Founder of Bankruptcy Law Firm Suspects Cleaning Workers in Dumpster Error

The founder of a Chicago-area bankruptcy law firm says cleaning workers may be to blame for putting sensitive client documents in a Dumpster shared by other businesses. The documents included client information sheets with Social Security numbers, names and addresses, driver’s license numbers and signed debit card authorizations, the Chicago…

Jul 29, 2010 12:54 PM CDT

7th Circuit Removes Chief District Judge Mid-Trial After Evidence Dispute with US Attorney

Updated: Ruling on an interlocutory appeal by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, a federal appeals court in Chicago not only agreed with the prosecutor that the chief district court judge had erred by excluding fingerprint evidence in a drug case but removed the jurist from the ongoing trial. “The case shall…

Jul 29, 2010 2:43 AM CDT

Defense Lawyer Tells Jurors Blagojevich Is ‘Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer’

Defense lawyer Sam Adam Jr. told jurors on Tuesday that former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich may not be “the sharpest knife in the drawer,” but he’s not corrupt. Jurors begin deliberations in the case today, the New York Times reports. Yesterday, Adam offered a dramatic closing argument that was “peppered…

Jul 28, 2010 12:02 PM CDT

Blagojevich Judge Unmoved by Presidential-Looking Dismissal Order

Is Barack Obama sending out judicial orders from Cedar Rapids, Iowa? The writer of a letter purporting to be from the president apparently hopes the judge overseeing the political corruption trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich won’t see through the guise. U.S. District Judge James Zagel revealed the letter…

Jul 27, 2010 5:36 PM CDT

Blago Judge & Defense Lawyer Clash Over Closing; I’ll Go to Jail, Attorney Adam Says

A federal judge overseeing the political corruption trial of the former governor of Illinois sent the jury home early today, after he and a defense lawyer clashed over what can be said at the upcoming closing argument. After attorney Sam Adam Jr. complained that he should be allowed to mention…

Jul 26, 2010 11:46 PM CDT

Is Eye-Rolling Disorderly Conduct? City Attorney Ordered to Investigate

A city attorney in a western Chicago suburb has a new research assignment, thanks to a woman’s ejection from a city council committee meeting last month based on allegations she was rolling her eyes and yawning disrespectfully. The question for Elmhurst city attorney Don Storino: What are the legal definitions…

Jul 26, 2010 5:43 PM CDT

Conrad Black Released on Bond After Some $40M in Legal Bills; How Much More Can He Afford to Pay?

Freed today from a federal prison in Florida, onetime media mogul Conrad Black is seemingly potentially on track for a possible reversal of his fraud and obstruction of justice convictions. But a major roadblock remains: His legal fees. An estimated $40 million in defense costs for Black have been covered…

Jul 21, 2010 11:29 PM CDT

Death of Reed Smith Practice Leader Struck by Train Ruled a Suicide

A senior partner at Reed Smith committed suicide last week, dying of multiple injuries after being struck by a commuter train in Chicago. Stewart Dolin was a corporate and securities partner who headed practice groups both at Reed Smith and, before it merged with Reed Smith, at Sachnoff and Weaver,…

Jul 20, 2010 11:40 PM CDT

Blago’s Lawyers Mull Bold Defense: Presenting No Witnesses & Resting Case

Defense lawyers promised the jury in former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s federal political corruption trial that he would testify. But then they debating whether he should do so, as the moment of truth neared today in the Chicago trial. Sam Adam Sr. said prosecutors haven’t proven their case, so the…

Jul 20, 2010 9:56 PM CDT

Writing Letters to Judge Puts Man Behind Bars

Writing letters to an Illinois judge has put a man behind bars in lieu of $75,000 bond. Gary Rainey, 28, was charged with stalking last week after allegedly writing threatening letters to an unidentified St. Clair County judge, reports the News-Democrat. He also tried to meet with the judge but…

Jul 19, 2010 11:14 PM CDT

ESPN Sportscaster Erin Andrews Sues Hotel Chains Over Stalker’s Secret In-Room Taping

In a lawsuit likely to resonate with other women who travel alone on business, a well-known sportscaster for ESPN sued several hotel chains today in Illinois state court over video footage widely circulated on the Internet in which she is seen in a state of undress while in her room.…

Jul 15, 2010 11:12 PM CDT

Lawyer Gets 30 Days and Must Wear Alcohol-Detection Device After 5th DUI Arrest

An Illinois personal injury lawyer was sentenced to 30 days in jail and must wear an ankle device to detect whether he has been drinking after his conviction in a jury trial last year for aggravated drunken driving causing great bodily harm. The suburban Chicago case resulted from Timothy Winfield’s…

Jul 13, 2010 5:22 PM CDT

Blago Defense Plans to Blame Then-Gov’s Lawyers for Steering Him in Wrong Direction

To the extent that impeached former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich may admit any mistaken conduct on the stand if he testifies, as expected, in his ongoing political corruption trial, there is a ready-made target for blame: His lawyers. His criminal lawyers have notified the Chicago federal court in which his…

Jul 12, 2010 9:10 PM CDT

Office Mgr Accused of Using Law Firm Checks to Pay $218K in Credit Card Bills

In the latest chapter of an ongoing saga about trusted employees who allegedly have stolen from law firms throughout the country, a former bookkeeper and office manager for a Chicago law firm has been charged with misappropriating more than $225,000 over a nearly four-year period for her personal use. The…

Jul 8, 2010 9:25 PM CDT