Civil & Human Rights

I began my practice over 11 years ago with the determination to make things better for my clients and my community. That continues to be the focus of my practice, and I look forward to many years of future service to my neighbors and friends. I grew up in Libertyville, graduating from Copeland Manor, Highland Jr. High, and eventually Libertyville High School in 1997. I attended college at Miami University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business, Majoring in Marketing. During college, I was president and judicial board chairman of my college fraternity, and was involved with Associated Student Government, various volunteer, and civic groups, and volunteered as a tutor. I attended law school at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where I was active in Student Court, Moot Court Honor Board, the Tenant Information Project, the Human Rights Quarterly, and was a member of the Dean’s list. During this time I also volunteered as a youth mentor for the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, taught a High School class curriculum in civics called StreetLaw, and worked part-time for Kaplan tutoring and preparing students for the Law School Admissions Test. I continue to be actively involved in the community. Currently, I sit on the Board of Directors of the Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County, a non-profit tasked with improving housing options throughout Lake County. I am also currently exploring the formation of a non-profit to rehabilitate abandoned, nuisance homes to stabilize housing values and rid neighborhoods of dangerous and often unsanitary hazards. I am regularly appointed by judges to serve as guardian ad litem in guardianship matters. I currently live in Mundelein with my wife, Dr. Amanda R. Johnston, DVM (veterinarian), our son Merritt, and our dog and cat. In my free time, I enjoy gardening, keeping aquariums, bicycling, hiking, canoeing, golf, coaching youth lacrosse, and rooting for the Chicago Cubs. Effective, knowledgeable, and ethical criminal defense. Call for a free consultation. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire Please describe a case(s) in the last year or two where you made a big difference. A homeowners association recently tried to enforce long-dormant deed restrictions (ignored for 30 years against) my client, in a discriminatory manner. The association followed none of its own rules, and was ostensibly re-formed solely to discriminate against my client by forcing the costly removal of valuable improvements on his land. A neighbor filed suit, arguing the dormant deed restrictions against my client, who is a person of color and substantially younger than others in the neighborhood, while ignoring blatant violations on their own property and at nearly every other property in the neighborhood. At the close of discovery, we successfully moved the court for summary judgment on the grounds that there was no way the suing neighbor could possibly prevail. My client’s property rights were maintained and the discriminatory action was thwarted. How did you build a successful practice? Mutual respect. I am proud of the fact that my firm offers free initial case consultations. This stems from a recognition that, while my time is valuable, so it the time of my clients. I strongly believe that initial case consultations, even if valuable to clients, should be free, because I do not believe it is fair to charge for time spent evaluating whether my firm can help a certain client, and in developing the plan of action. Once we come up with a plan of action, we communicate that proposed scope of work to the client so they can accept or reject our proposal for representation. Only after a client has agreed to hire us, based on the agreed plan, are legal fees assessed. This approach, based on mutual respect, has been crucial to our firm’s success. What should clients look for in a lawyer? It’s a personal relationship as well as a professional one. Clients must be comfortable with their attorney on both these levels. Clients should be sure that they can communicate well with their attorney. A knowledgeable professional in any field should be able to explain even the most difficult contexts in terms a layperson can readily understand. If you cannot understand your attorney, its probably not a good fit. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? The saying goes “A good attorney knows the law, a great attorney knows the judge.” This is true because the practice of the law is not only theoretical, but also practical and pragmatic. An experienced local attorney will typically know the courts, judges, clerks and local procedures better than an attorney who does not practice in the county on a regular basis. Thus, clients represented by local attorneys will reap numerous advantages in the course of a case. What information can you provide in a free phone consultation? Typically, after learning enough about the case for a proper evaluation, I explain how the law works in the area, how I expect the law will be applied to their situation, and how my firm can potentially be of service to the person (and how we would charge for our services). Often, in order to properly conduct an initial consultation, I will need to review relevant paperwork, but with smart phones, scanners and teleconference software, it is increasingly easy to share documents electronically. What information do you need in a free phone consultation? Every case is different, but in general, I will need to know the parties involved in a case (so that I can make sure there is no conflict of interest), I will need to know the location of the case, and often it is very helpful to review relevant documents. Every case is different, and many of the documents I would need to review may be available online (like court records), so a potential client should not be dissuaded from calling to schedule a free consultation. If we need more information, we will let you know. What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community? I do my best to build a strong professional network both within and outside of the legal community. If a potential client comes to my firm and, for whatever reason(s), the case is not a good fit for my firm, we do our best to match the client with the right attorney. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? Helping people. This is how attorneys help ensure equal justice under law. That’s why good attorneys enter the practice. What are your other interests in addition to law? My hobbies include: canoeing, hiking, bicycling, golf, fishing, disc golf, and keeping aquariums. Causes that I support include Affordable and Just Housing, Medical Research, and community efforts to foster local, small businesses. Are you involved in your community? Yes, I am active in my local and state bar associations, the GLMV, and business networking groups. I am regularly appointed by judges in Lake County to serve as a Guardian ad Litem. I serve on the Lake County Chamber of Commerce as a Board Member. Additionally, I serve as President of the Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County (AHC), which works closely with Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) to serve the joint mission of fostering safe, affordable housing in our area.

For 25 years Jason Wood has dedicated his career to fighting for the rights of ordinary people against abuse of power by government, insurance companies, and big moneyed interests. He enjoys putting the justice system to work for those who have nowhere else to turn. His clients are “we the people” described in the Constitution, and our “neighbors.” All too often, those we pay to protect our interests end up serving only themselves. For example, the insurance company of one of Mr. Wood’s clients refused to pay her the life and accidental death benefits she was entitled to when her beloved husband died, because the company wrongly claimed that the death might have been a suicide. None of the other law firms she consulted believed she had a case because of a federal statute that stacks the deck against her and you. Then she went to Jason Wood. He obtained a judgment against the greedy insurance company for almost $500,000.

Mr. Morris has been practicing law since 1994 and is a diverse individual with many interests. Unlike other attorneys, Mr. Morris was working on an advanced degree in an unrelated field when he had a calling to become an attorney and he instantly switched from his science-based studies to law. Mr. Morris has owned a retail store, has written computer software and has been on the Board of several non-profit corporations, including the SPCA of Northern Nevada. After graduating from law school, Mr. Morris based his practice on "righting wrongs" and started a heavy practice in civil rights and employment law such as wrongful terminations, disability discrimination, medical leave issues, personal injury and medical facility injuries. His law practice philosophy led him to a specialized area of Tribal and Indian Law where he has represented many Tribes and their members. He was eventually asked to be a judge for the Appellate Court for the Nevada Tribes and he served as a justice for this Inter-Tribal Court of Appeals of Nevada. He has worked as both a plaintiff’s attorney in private practice as well as being General Counsel, Employment Counsel, and Senior Employment Counsel for large national and international corporations including the World’s largest equipment rental company. Mr. Morris has received published decisions in both Federal and State Courts and he is currently licensed in all Nevada Courts including the Nevada Supreme Court, Nevada Federal Courts, Federal Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals and multiple Indian and Tribal Courts. He has lived in both Reno and Las Vegas and provides services to all of Nevada including its rural towns. Due to the nature of the cases handled by Mr. Morris, the majority of them are filed in Federal Courts - which are located in either Reno or Las Vegas.

During Raymond’s practice, which spans over a decade, he has gained extensive experience in all facets of complex litigation. His expertise includes litigation of employment, general liability, class action, construction, products, and general business litigation matters – from start through trial, and appeal. Further, he has prepared volumes of employment handbooks, construction and real estate disclosures and agreements, and general business contracts aimed to fully protect his clients and, when applicable, transfer risk to the appropriate parties. This allows Raymond to offer a unique perspective to his clients and create strategies for any scenario.

Ryan J. Stevens is a former felony prosecutor in Flagstaff, Arizona. Mr. Stevens dedicates his legal practice to criminal defense (felony, misdemeanor, and DUI), personal injury, constitutional rights litigation, and expert trial work all across Northern Arizona, including Coconino County, Yavapai County, Navajo County, Mohave County, Apache County, Maricopa County, the Navajo Nation, and the Hopi Tribal Lands. Mr. Stevens defends serious felony cases in the U.S. District Court (Phoenix/Prescott) and U.S. Magistrate Court (Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Page, Kingman). Mr. Stevens graduated cum laude from the College of William & Mary (B.S., Mathematics). He attended William & Mary School of Law on a merit-based academic scholarship. Mr. Stevens clerked for Chief Judge Walter S. Felton of the Virginia Court of Appeals. Mr. Stevens also clerked at a Flagstaff law firm and the Coconino County Attorney’s Office, accelerating his trial practice skills and experience. Early in his legal career, Mr. Stevens represented the State of Arizona in numerous successful jury trials, including first-degree murder, felony murder, second-degree murder, aggravated assault, burglary, sale of marijuana, aggravated DUI, and more. Mr. Stevens believes that maintaining a high-quality trial practice yields optimal results in all legal settings. A competitive runner and Ironman triathlete, Mr. Stevens looks forward to serving his clients with professionalism, energy, and vigor.

Peter is a registered patent attorney and an associate in the Intellectual Property group with experience in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and licensing matters. Peter’s practice involves assisting clients in establishing, protecting, maintaining, and enforcing intellectual property rights. His practice covers all phases of intellectual property prosecution, litigation, and counseling, and he has represented clients of all sizes from individuals and start-ups to large corporations. Peter’s experience includes handling and defending against contentious and IP assertion matters, providing invalidity, non-infringement, and clearance opinions, drafting technology licensing and assignment agreements, directing IP e-commerce enforcement, and managing domain name disputes, including UDRP actions. Peter is also a registered patent attorney capable of handling all stages of utility and design patent prosecution before the USPTO. His patent prosecution experience covers a wide range of fields including design, software, robotic and submersible vehicles, printers, and other mechanical devices. His litigation experience includes patent, trademark, and copyright litigation matters in U.S. District Courts on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, as well as appeal and post-grant proceedings before the USPTO. Before joining ArentFox Schiff, Peter was an associate at a boutique intellectual property firm in the New York area, where he served as the brand enforcement team lead in addition to his normal duties. In this role, he and his team helped to remove counterfeit, knock-off, and infringing products from leading sales platforms and applications. While in law school, Peter served as the President of the Intellectual Property Law Society and as a Notes Editor for the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. He was also a member of the American IP Law Association’s Patent Committee and a summer patent extern at the USPTO.

Sexual Harassment and Employment Discrimination Attorney in New York, Philadelphia & New Jersey. Derek Smith is proud to have obtained several multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts on behalf of employees like you, who have been discriminated, tormented, and humiliated at work. Attorney Smith and his firm have obtained a $2.5 Million verdict on behalf of a woman sexual harassed by a restaurant owner. He also obtained a $1.6 Million verdict on behalf of a woman who was subject to a hostile work environment while working as a chef. He believes in becoming emotionally invested in every one of his clients, and it shows in his results.

At the Law Office of Steven Fine, our lawyer is dedicated to fiercely defending the rights of clients who are facing the criminal justice system. Over his more than 30 years practicing law, Steven has handled hundreds of complex cases, representing his clients with a comprehensive approach to law. His techniques are cutting-edge and aggressive, and he is always willing to put in the extra effort to research and fully understand a case from every angle. We are well-equipped and prepared to take on a wide variety of criminal law cases. Attorney Fine has extensive experience and is able to take on even the most complicated situation. As a former assistant State’s attorney, Mr. Fine has unique insight in the opposition’s approach and knows effective techniques that work against them.

Philip Bourdette is a Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff attorney working in Visalia, California. Philip Bourdette works as an attorney at Bourdette & Partners. As one of a small number of attorneys selected to Super Lawyers, Philip Bourdette gained this recognition through professional achievement, peer recognition, and other distinguishing criteria. He graduated from University of California Davis School of Law in 1971. He was subsequently admitted to legal practice in 1971 after passing the bar exam.