We take pride in having one of the largest, best established, highest quality, and most successful civil rights practices in the nation. Very few law firms of any size have litigated and won as many major civil rights cases as we have. We have a committed group of lawyers who have dedicated the better part of their careers to fighting discrimination in the workplace, in housing, in education, and at the polling place; to vindicating our clients’ constitutional rights to speak freely and enjoy liberty, property rights, and equal protection of the laws; to battling police and law enforcement misconduct and governmental misconduct generally; and to protecting the rights of immigrants.

In addition to our representation of plaintiffs, we have also represented corporations, agencies, municipalities and school districts, providing advice about best practices; conducting compliance audits, anti-discrimination and harassment training and education, and internal investigations; assessing vulnerabilities; and drafting personnel policies and employee handbooks. We have also represented clients in defending claims and charges before courts, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights, the Cook County Commission on Human Relations, the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.

The following is a sampling of the successes of our attorneys in the field of civil rights:

Employment Discrimination

Niebur v. Town of Cicero, 98 C 4157 (N.D. Ill). We obtained a 1.7 million dollar jury verdict in favor of the former chief of police and deputy chief for the town of Cicero, Illinois, who were fired for cooperating with a federal grand jury investigation into governmental corruption.

Cadar v. Bell, 84 C 10903 (N.D. Ill.). We obtained a 1.3 million dollar jury verdict on behalf of an individual whose Fourteenth Amendment rights to equal protection and due process were violated when he sought to provide housing to minorities.

Trombetta v. Board of Education of Proviso Township High School Dist. 209, 02 C 5895 (N.D. Ill.). We obtained a 1.4 million dollar jury verdict on behalf of an individual who was fired in retaliation for his political activities, in violation of his First Amendment rights.

Jefferson v. Ingersoll International Inc., 99 C 8032 (N.D. Ill.). A Title VII race and sex employment discrimination class action in which we obtained a 1.8 million dollar settlement and consent decree providing for widespread changes in salary structure and promotional opportunities.

Bell v. Woodward Governor Company, 03 C 50190, 06 C 50178 (N.D. Ill.). An employment class action alleging discrimination in compensation and promotions, resulting in a settlement with multi-million dollar monetary relief plus company-wide, injunctive relief.

Housing Discrimination

Hispanics United of DuPage County v. Village of Addison, 94 C 6075, 95 C 3926 (N.D. Ill.). A class action on behalf of Latino residents of a suburban municipality to enforce their rights under the Fair Housing Act and the United States Constitution. Our representation resulted in the largest recovery under the Fair Housing Act in the nation’s history, including a consent decree that prevented the discriminatory targeting of Latino neighborhoods for redevelopment, provided millions of dollars in compensation for property loss and relocation funds, and provided the opportunity for displaced families to relocate to comparable residences.

School Desegregation

People Who Care v. Rockford Board of Education School Dist. No. 205, 89 C 20168 (N.D. Ill). A class action school desegregation case brought on behalf of Hispanic and African-American students against the second largest school district in Illinois. We won a judgment following a bench trial, which resulted in the most detailed liability findings in the history of school desegregation litigation.

Board of Educ. of Thornton High School Dist. 205 v. Board of Education of Argo Community High School Dist. 217, 06 C 2005 (N.D. Ill.). A case brought under the Fourteenth Amendment and the Illinois Civil Rights Act on behalf of school districts, students, and parents against predominately white school districts that withdrew from a racially integrated high school extra-curricular conference to create separate, segregated conferences. We negotiated a consent decree that resulted in the successful reintegration of the programs.

Voting Rights

del Valle v. McGuffage, 01 C 208, 01 C 796 (N.D. Ill.). Class action voting rights suit challenging voting procedures, including the use of punch card ballots, in Chicago, suburban Cook County and elsewhere in Illinois, under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fourteenth Amendment. Pursuant to a settlement in this case, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners implemented a new, modernized voting system and increased the availability of language assistance to meet the needs of Spanish- and Chinese-speaking voters.

Litigation related to 1990 state of Illinois legislative redistricting. Representation of Latino elected officials and voters in simultaneous state and federal cases challenging the Illinois Redistricting Commission’s recommended plan for redistricting state legislative and representative districts following the 1990 federal census. We negotiated a settlement that maximized the political power of Latino voters.

Other

In Re Mexico Money Transfer Litigation, 98 C 2407, 98 C 2408 (N.D. Ill.). A national class action challenging the fraudulent practices in the international wire transfer industry, resulting in a settlement providing injunctive relief and about 400 million dollars in benefits to the mostly Mexican migrant class members.