The Sotos Law Firm, P.C.

Contact us Today 630-735-3300

The Sotos Law Firm, P.C.
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A Firm You Can Rely On In Complex Cases

Thomas J. Sotos

  • Partner
(630) 735-3300

Practice Areas:

  • Municipal Defense
  • Civil Rights Defense
  • Government Representation
  • Misc Litigation

Biography

Tom grew up here, having clerked and interned for the firm throughout his high school and college years. Throughout his career, Tom has litigated some of the most high profile cases in the State of Illinois and country, more broadly-both municipal litigation and otherwise. In 2022, he brought this experience to the Sotos Law Firm, joining the firm as a litigator and bringing to bear his trial experience and passion for legal writing.

Tom earned his law degree in 2017 at the UCLA School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, from the University of Chicago in 2012. During law school, Tom interned for the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office and Justice Joseph Birkett of the Illinois Second District Appellate Court. Prior to joining the Sotos Law Firm, Tom litigated at Greenberg Traurig and clerked for Judge Charles P. Kocoras of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. At Greenberg Traurig, his practice primarily involved municipal and white collar litigation, multidistrict and class-action defense, and banking and securities law. Tom is a proud member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association.

Education and Clerkships

  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
    • Law Clerk – 2017 to 2018
  • University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, Los Angeles, California
    • J.D. – 2017
  • University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
    • B.A. – 2012
    • Major: Political Science

Bar Admission

  • Illinois, 2017
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio

Representative Cases

  • Hernandez v. City of Peoria, Illinois, 135 F.4th 517 (7th Cir. 2025). Briefed, argued, and won affirmance of wrongful death / excessive force jury verdict before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Patterson v. Village of River Forest, 2024 IL App (1st) 230830-U. Briefed and won affirmance of malicious prosecution summary judgment win before the Illinois First District Appellate Court, without oral argument.
  • Heidelberg v. Manias, 2024 WL 1316206 (C.D. Ill. 2024). Summary judgment in reversed conviction case in the Central District of Illinois.
  • Thomas v. County of Peoria, 2023 IL App (4th) 221075. Briefed and won reversal of lower court injunction in election case before the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court.
  • Shea v. Millett, 2020 WL 6586368 (D. Mass. 2020). Summary judgment in breach of contract case concerning novel surgical procedure in District of Massachusetts.
  • Shanahan v. National Auto Protection Corp., 2020 WL 3058088 (N.D. Ill. 2020). Motion to dismiss granted in TCPA class action in the Northern District of Illinois.
  • Deneen v. Miebach, 2019 WL 9834333 (C.D. Ill. 2019). Motion to dismiss granted in state-created danger due process claim in the Central District of Illinois.

Professional Associations

  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association