TRIAL LITIGATION
I am a native resident of Chicago, Illinois and I have over 25 years of trial litigation experience. My practice involves the aggressive trial representation of individual and corporate clients in all phases of trial litigation, focusing on federal, state, civil, criminal and personal injury trial litigation. I served as a Federal Prosecutor for 15 years, as an Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Department of Justice. During my tenure I served as both Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and Triggerlock Coordinators.. Additionally, I have experience in a wide range of criminal prosecutions and federal litigation experience in United States District Courts throughout the nation. This experience will serve you in the resolution of your litigation issues. The United States Attorney General presented me with the Executive Office United States Attorneys Director’s Award. This award is bestowed on very few attorneys and throughout my career I have been the recipient of numerous other awards.
The Executive Office for the United States Attorneys appointed me Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General on three separate occasions involving the Northern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of Wisconsin and the District of Arizona. I am a member of the Illinois, District of Columbia, Georgia and United States Supreme Court Bar Associations. I have also been admitted to the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Indiana, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
My extensive civil and criminal litigation experience includes numerous high profile cases across the nation wherein I acquired significant litigation experience from both the prosecution and defense perspectives. This extensive litigation experience will make me an asset and significant contributor to successfully resolving your legal issues.
Specifically, as a means of providing insight concerning my trial experience, the internationally covered case of United States v. Derrick Mosley provides perspective. The Washington Executive Office of the Department of Justice recused the Chicago United States Attorneys Office and districtly transferred the case ultimately resulting in my appointment as Special Assistant to the Attorney General, as the sole trial prosecutor assigned to indict and ultimately convict Mosley. On Monday, November 14, 2005 a Chicago federal jury returned extortion and wire fraud convictions on all counts in United States vs. Derrick Mosley. This was a internationally highly publicized trial involving Mosley’s extortion of New York Yankee baseball star Gary Sheffield and his Grammy nominated gospel performing artist wife, DeLeon Richards-Sheffield. Mosley communicated threats to the New York Yankees organization and the Sheffields’ Chicago business manager and sports agent, Rufus Williams, threatening to expose two videos in his possession allegedly depicting DeLeon engaging in sexual activity with multi Grammy awarded R&B artist R. Kelly and another women. This was a challenging case involving numerous pre-trial issues and interlocutory appeals presented to both the United States District Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Throughout the prosecution Mosley received eight retained and appointed counsel changes.. Mosley’s numerous pre-trial issues were rejected twice by the District Court and twice by the Seventh Circuit Court Of Appeals denying his interlocutory appeals. A third pre-sentence interlocutory appellate challenge was also denied. As sole trial counsel I exclusively successfully litigated all pre-trial motions and interlocutory appeals.
The Mosley case was intensely followed by the media given the parties and their respective corporate interest such as Major League Baseball due to the presence of the New York Yankees baseball organization. The Major League Baseball Players Association and union affiliates closely monitored the events due to the presence of Gary Sheffield. Accordingly, various alliances of sports agents and managers closely monitored the proceedings due to the presence of the Sheffields’ business manager, sports agent and CPA Rufus Williams. The recording industry, alliance of performing artist guild and union representatives all scrutinized the hearings and court filings due to the presence of Grammy nominated artist DeLeon Richards Sheffield and Grammy awardee R. Kelly. Furthermore, the national media in covering the case also highlighted that President Bush as a former owner of the Texas Rangers baseball organization was a colleague of longtime New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. The totality of these circumstances demonstrates that I can handle enormous pressure and will be an asset as a litigation attorney and advocate for clients as manifested by Mosley’s conviction on all counts.
My civil experience includes my tenure as an Assistant Corporation Counsel with the Torts Division of the Chicago Department of Law, defending Chicago in multi-million dollar .complex media intensive litigation involving wrongful death, catastrophic injury, emergency medical services malpractice and construction negligence. The experience also included malicious prosecutions, defamation, vehicular and premises negligence liability litigation. Extensive motion practice involving comprehensive expert deposition examinations, voluminous discovery coordination, conducting settlement negotiation conferences and participation in arbitrations
My defense litigation experience includes private practice, as well as prior positions as a Public Defender in Chicago and as private counsel in Washington. This private and public federal and state sector defense litigation experience is a significant client benefit and resource as it relates to providing a balanced litigation perspective.
During my 26 year career as an attorney I have argued approximately 30 cases before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.