Biography
Steve serves the general practice needs of our clients. He has 29 years of experience in representing families and individuals in a variety of areas. He has handled dozens of probate estates, guardianships and trust administrations. Steve has helped many families gain peace of mind by assisting them with drafting their estate planning documents. He also represents clients in residential real estate sales and purchases. Steve takes pride in serving our clients in a professional and efficient manner while always keeping an eye on achieving practical results.
In addition to heading our general practice department, Steve represents employees who have been unlawfully discriminated against, harassed or retaliated against because of their race, sex, religion, disability, age or other protected class. His practice also includes FMLA cases or have terminated workers in retaliation for exercising their rights under federal or state law.
Settlements:
- $193,750 in a sexual harassment and retaliatory discharge case where an employee at a Harley Davidson dealership was subjected to harassment by other employees and terminated when she complained about it.
- $122,500 in an FMLA case where an employee was told he had leave available and then was fired while on leave because the employer had made a mistake in calculating the amount of leave he had left.
- $96,000 in a disability discrimination case where employer refused to accommodate the worker’s injury.
- $75,000 in a racial discrimination case where a supervisor called an employee racist names.
- $68,250.00 in a retaliatory discharge case where the employer fired a worker who had filed a Worker’s Compensation claim against the employer’s predecessor company.
- $62,500.00 in a discrimination and retaliation case where an employee at a big-box store was subjected to harassment based on his ethnicity and disability and fired when he complained about it.
Education
- Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington, Indiana
- J. D. - 1994
- Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana
- B.A. - 1989
- Honors: summa cum laude
- Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association
- American Association for Justice, Employment Rights Section
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Chicago Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Committee Member
- Chicago Bar Association Probate Practice Committee Member
- Chicago Bar Association Bankruptcy and Reorganization Committee Member
- Will County Bar Association
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
- National Employment Lawyers Association
- National Employment Lawyers Association/Illinois, Member
- AFSCME, Member
- Chicago Bar Association
Representative Clients
References
Languages
Fraternities or Sororities
Certified Legal Specialties
Practice Areas
- Probate including decedent’s estate administration and guardianships
- Trust administration
- Estate planning
- Residential real estate
- Employment discrimination and retaliatory discharge
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Published Works
- Settling Wrongful Death and Survival Claims In (and Out of) Probate Court, Newsletter of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Trust & Estates Section, Vol. 67, No. 7, January, 2021
Representative Cases
Honors
Classes & Seminars
Pro-Bono Activities
Past Positions
- UAW Legal Services Plan, Staff Attorney, 1997 to 2003