Illinois

Drew Peterson guilty of seeking contract hit on prosecutor in murder case

Already serving a 38-year prison term after his 2012 conviction for the murder of his third wife, Drew Peterson now faces an additional sentence that could add decades to his time behind bars. A downstate Illinois jury deliberated for less than an hour on Tuesday before finding the former suburban…

May 31, 2016 3:30 PM CDT

Woman who faced 6-year term for court lockup kick that caused no injury gets 1 year after plea deal

Tina Hunt was last convicted of a violent crime—robbery—some 20 years ago. But, because of that conviction, under sentencing laws in Illinois, she faced a minimum six-year prison term for kicking a Cook County sheriff’s deputy, essentially without leaving a mark on him. Now 49, she had been in the…

May 26, 2016 5:18 PM CDT

Fewer than 1% of arrestees in Chicago see a lawyer while in police custody

Chicago police generally require arrestees to wait until after they are processed, interrogated and charged before they are allowed access to a phone, according to a task force report. The result, CNN reports, is that fewer than 1 percent of arrestees in Chicago see a lawyer while in police custody.…

May 26, 2016 6:15 AM CDT

Ex-cop Drew Peterson on trial on charges he tried to put a hit on prosecutor in his murder case

Already convicted of murder in the 2004 slaying of his third wife, former suburban Chicago police officer Drew Peterson let his hate for the prosecutor in that case overcome his better judgment as he began serving a 38-year prison term, jurors were told Monday. So Peterson approached a fellow inmate,…

May 24, 2016 10:20 AM CDT

Hinshaw announces management shake-up, new ‘category killer’ focus

Long known as a top defense firm for insurance-coverage matters, including the defense of attorneys in legal malpractice claims, Chicago-based Hinshaw & Culbertson in more recent years has branded itself online as a “Full Service National Law Firm.” Now, in a change of direction marked by a management shake-up, the…

May 19, 2016 4:45 PM CDT

Winston & Strawn expands parental leave, eliminates ‘primary’ caregiver distinction

Expanding a parental leave program for associates and senior attorneys that was already generous, compared to other Chicago-based BigLaw firms, Winston & Strawn will now provide up to 20 weeks of paid leave, effective immediately. The firm is also eliminating a “primary” versus “secondary” caregiver distinction that generally split along…

May 19, 2016 11:30 AM CDT

Suburban Chicago mom gets 4 years for killing disabled daughter

Originally charged with murder in the death last year of her severely disabled 28-year-old daughter, a suburban Chicago mom was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors had recommended probation for Bonnie Liltz, 56, who killed Courtney Liltz by putting a lethal dose…

May 18, 2016 4:25 PM CDT

Lawyer known for his costumed ‘Excuseman’ character is indicted in $1.1M client theft

Over the years, as he practiced personal injury law in downtown Chicago, Jordan Margolis also focused considerable effort on developing his costumed comedic character Excuseman. Featured in self-published books and YouTube videos, Excuseman’s goal was “to get those who mess up to ‘fess up,” Margolis told the Chicago Tribune (reg.…

May 17, 2016 2:30 PM CDT

ACLU will seek to intervene in lawsuit over transgender student access to high school locker room

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois plans to move to intervene in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last week by a group of parents and students who are unhappy about a suburban Chicago high school district’s settlement of a complaint by a transgender student. Under the school district’s…

May 10, 2016 3:05 PM CDT

Immigration lawyer convicted of helping clients concoct tales of persecution

A suburban Chicago immigration lawyer was criminally convicted of four perjury and immigration fraud charges by a federal court jury Monday, but was acquitted on a fifth fraud count. Robert DeKelaita, 53, helped immigrants make false claims of oppression and persecution on documents submitted to the Citizenship and Immigration Service…

May 10, 2016 1:15 PM CDT

‘Testilying’ by police on stand is rarely punished, Chicago Tribune reports

At a pretrial hearing in November, a Chicago police officer explained to an Illinois judge how police had happened to find a $50,000 brick of cocaine in a minivan occupied by Miguel Rodriguez and Antonio Garcia. He and his partner, while working undercover on a narcotics surveillance on the city’s…

May 6, 2016 2:05 PM CDT

Judge OKs suit accusing Facebook of violating Illinois privacy law with its photo-tag technology

A federal judge has given a green light to a class action lawsuit contending that deployment of a Facebook feature using facial-recognition technology to tag photographs violates an Illinois privacy statute. Initially filed in Illinois and since transferred to California, the suit alleges that Facebook violated the Illinois Biometric Information…

May 6, 2016 9:55 AM CDT

School’s pact with feds over transgender locker room access sparks new lawsuit

A settlement by a suburban Chicago school district of a transgender high school student’s federal civil rights complaint over locker room access has now sparked new litigation. In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Chicago, a group of about 50 parents and students at Township High School in Palatine allege…

May 5, 2016 7:15 AM CDT

Taxi drivers may have disparate-treatment claim against Chicago, says federal judge

In a recent order denying the city of Chicago’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging ride-sharing rules, a federal judge found that the taxi businesses who filed the case may have a valid disparate-treatment claim. The plaintiffs allege that less stringent city rules for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft…

May 4, 2016 3:40 PM CDT

Kirkland & Ellis to offer ‘emotional fitness’ training at all law firm offices

One of the nation’s top corporate law firms is embracing its softer side. Following a trial program involving 60 lawyers in its Chicago office, Kirkland & Ellis is expanding Life XT to all offices, reports Crain’s Chicago Business (sub. req.). It is based on the newly published book Start Here:…

May 4, 2016 7:15 AM CDT