A Firm You Can Rely On In Complex Cases

James G. Sotos

  • Founding and Managing Partner

Practice Areas:

  • Municipal Defense
  • Civil Rights Defense
  • Government Representation
  • Employment Discrimination Defense
  • Employee Internal Investigation

Biography

The firm is led by James Sotos, who possesses over twenty-five years of experience representing public and private sector clients in federal and state litigation at the trial and appellate levels. During that time, Jim has distinguished himself as one of a handful of attorneys who has argued two cases in the United States Supreme Court, and he has achieved an enviable rate of success in the arena of Illinois governmental litigation. Jim enjoys Lexis-Nexis, Martindale-Hubbell's preeminent AV peer review rating and has been recognized both as an "Illinois Super Lawyer" by "Law and Politics" and the publishers of Chicago Magazine and as an Illinois Leading Lawyer by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company. Jim also lectures and publishes frequently on government liability and ethics and for over 20 years, authored the weekly newspaper column "In Federal Courts", for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

Education

  • The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois
    • J.D. - 1985
  • Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, Ohio
    • B.A. - 1981
    • Honors: Pi Sigma Alpha

Bar Admission

  • Supreme Court of Illinois, 1986
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1986
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1986
  • U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 1986
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar
  • U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois Trial Bar

Published Works

  • "In Federal Courts", Weekly column for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, 1991 to present

Representative Cases

  • Buckley v. Fitzsimmons, 113 S.Ct. 2606, 1993, U.S.Ill., 1993129078
  • Albright v. Oliver, 114 S.Ct. 807, 1994, U.S.Ill., 1994031547
  • Gauger v. McHenry County, 349 F.3d 354, 2003, 7th Circuit

Honors

  • Lexis-Nexis, Martindale-Hubbell's preeminent AV peer review rating
  • "Illinois Super Lawyer" by "Law and Politics" and the publishers of Chicago Magazine
  • Illinois Leading Lawyer by the Law Bulletin PUblishing Company

Classes & Seminars

  • Lecturer, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation
  • Illinois Municipal League
  • Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • United States Department of Justice

Representative Clients

  • City of Chicago
  • City of Naperville
  • City of Paris
  • DuPage County
  • McHenry County
  • Grundy County
  • Lake County

Professional Associations

  • American Bar Association, Member, 1986 to Present
  • Chicago Bar Association, Member, 1986 to Present
  • DuPage County Bar Association, Member, 1986 to Present
  • Illinois State Bar Association, 1986 to Present
  • 7th Circuit Bar Association, Present
  • Federal Bar Association, Present
  • American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA), Member, 1989 to Present