Edward Fox | Chicago Employment Lawyer

• Member | Illinois State Bar

• Peer Review Rated Martindale-Hubbell
  2016

We won a trial in February 2014, in which the Plaintiff was a Chicago Police Officer and brought a claim under Title VII for retaliation. His claim was that he overheard his Sergeant use a racial slur directed toward his African-American partner. Our client became a witness in the resulting investigation and was retaliated against in connection with, among other things, being assigned to the "punishment car,"; false disciplinary write ups; increased supervisor scrutiny; having his police car taken from him; being ordered to do hourly walk ups of two 7 floor buildings he was to patrol; and being ostracized on the department. The jury awarded him $134,000 - all of which was for emotional distress. Since then we have had numerous calls from various people who have been the victim of retaliation.

We built a successful practice by doing good work, being responsive to the client, working hard in each and every case; being willing to go to trial when necessary; building a reputation for being willing to go to trial and winning a large percentage of cases, thus forcing larger settlements; not making promises that we could not deliver on, being willing to take on difficult cases successfully; and working closely with attorneys who were referring cases to us.

Clients should look for attorneys who will not make promises that they cannot keep just for the sake of getting the case. Clients should also look for attorneys who will not grab the first settlement offer that is made just to get some quick money, but rather, look for attorneys who will work the case to obtain a just settlement or go to trial on the case. Clients should also look for attorneys who will respond to their questions, maintain contact with the client, and attorneys who have access to and be willing to obtain outstanding experts, when needed, for each case.

First and foremost we can let the client know if it's likely that he/she has a case worth pursuing. We can also let the client know what further steps she must take to preserve her rights and what evidence should be obtained before it is destroyed or no longer exists. For example, photos should be taken before injuries heal, and work records and medical records should be obtained before the employer or the doctor knows what the issues are and might take action to falsify or fabricate records.

Information that we need in a free phone consultation include names and phone numbers of witnesses, what doctors and/or hospitals have seen the client, and the names and other identifying information of the person(s) what have wronged the client. Also, it is useful to know who the client has discussed the information with and, for example, in police cases, whether the client was falsely arrested and if so, what court and what date the next criminal appearance is to be made. In employment cases, we need to know about the termination or discipline policies of the client's employer. In nursing home malpractice cases, we like to know about all the underlying conditions that the resident of the nursing home had or has at that the time he was subjected to neglect or abuse.

What differentiates us from other lawyers in our community is four things. First we limit our practice to just a few areas of law so that we know these areas really well, we keep up to date on all new developments, and we have substantial experience doing these areas of law. Second, we brainstorm our cases with other lawyers in the firm so that what we do in each case is strategically the best way to go about each case. Three, we spend whatever money is required and do all the detail work on each case that is necessary to provide the best representation that is possible for us to provide. And, four, we go to trial when necessary and have more experience trying case than the vast majority of lawyers in our community.

The most rewarding aspect of the job is to obtain a good settlement for somebody and get him her or more than what they expected on a difficult case.