PRACTICE AREAS

Lawyer & Law Firm Malpractice

Our firm concentrates its practice in the litigation and trial of legal malpractice cases against law firms and attorneys. Our attorneys have over sixty years of combined experience in litigating and trying legal malpractice cases. In 2018, the firm, with co-counsel, litigated a complicated secured transaction and bankruptcy based case against one of the world’s largest law firms that resolved when the law firm agreed to pay our clients a total of thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) to settle the case just before jury selection in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Learn More...

We have a unique practice of representing insurance companies and brokers as plaintiffs in law firm and lawyer malpractice cases against their coverage counsel. Carriers and brokers often are the victims of legal malpractice. In the defense context, lawyers retained to defend a carrier’s insured sometimes miss critical settlement opportunities, fail to determine the key evidence during litigation, or fail to assert a potentially dispositive legal defense which results in damages to the carrier client and which would not have been incurred absent lawyer malpractice. With our past experience working for insurance companies, we are uniquely qualified to represent carriers and brokers in these cases and return considerable sums to their bottom lines.

We also have wide experience in bringing legal malpractice cases against attorneys who handle commercial and injury cases, real estate, purchase and corporate acquisitions, taxation and accounting, insurance claims, reorganizations and bankruptcy, municipal law, trust and estate plans, marital dissolutions, workers’ compensation and employment disability claims, mechanic’s liens, ethics and conflicts of interests, and many more areas of the law where attorneys can fail to properly represent a client or beneficiary. A legal malpractice claim is actually two cases: the malpractice case itself which is based upon the underlying matter – the case within the case. We frequently work with nationally renowned legal experts to develop opinions critical to the success of your case. And our firm has the legal knowledge and experience to develop both levels so that you are capable of prevailing at trial or in settlement.

COVID19 & Your Civil Rights

Government and social response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has been unprecedented in terms of the protective measures that have been applied, such as the various “shelter in place” or “stay at home” orders and guidelines that the White House, state governors, and local government units have issued. While the goal of these guidelines and orders is certainly laudable – protecting the vulnerable in our population is a legitimate aim of government – our constitutional framework requires that the rights of American citizens be protected and respected, even in times of crisis or national emergency.

Learn More...

Thus, to the extent that certain commercial, personal, civic, social, or religious activities have been determined by government authorities to be “non-essential”, our legal system exists to provide an impacted party a vehicle by which a determination can be challenged and legally tested according to our robust civil rights laws. Most civil rights cases include “fee shifting” statutory provisions that allow the prevailing party to recover his or her legal fees incurred in asserting the civil rights violation. If you believe that your civil rights have been unjustly or inappropriately violated as a result of an order or guideline of a government authority, the attorneys of Grasso Law, P.C. are standing by to consult with you.

Business Reorganizations & Bankruptcy

In the present financial climate, businesses of varying sizes and sectors may experience extreme difficulties in maintaining liquidity, meeting liabilities, and sustaining employment. The attorneys of Grasso Law, P.C. are experienced in assisting clients navigating through financial difficulties and employing the Bankruptcy Code to assist in seeking bankruptcy protection. Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code provides a mechanism to individuals and business entities seeking to reorganize their financial and corporate structures to facilitate emergence from bankruptcy.

Learn More...

As soon as a petitioner files for bankruptcy protection, an “Automatic Stay” goes into effect which prevents creditors from pursuing collection efforts outside of the bankruptcy case. The statutory provisions of the Bankruptcy Code provide robust procedures for holding automatic stay violators accountable.

The Automatic Stay is among the various “tools” available to the business debtor, which assists the debtor in preventing consequences like eviction, acceleration, and levy. There are particular provisions of the Bankruptcy Code to differentiate between tax or governmental debt, secured and unsecured debt, and other provisions that prioritize a debtor’s various liabilities. The Bankruptcy Code also allows a debtor to continue its operations, including using available cash to fund ongoing obligations, including paying bankruptcy-related fees.

Sometimes debts are disputed or workouts are required for existing obligations, and the Bankruptcy Code is designed to resolve disputes through what is known as “adversary proceedings”. The attorneys of Grasso Law, P.C. are experienced in utilizing the adversary process to achieve their client’s workout strategy.

We have almost twenty years of experience in handling commercial bankruptcy matters, including lease and debt workouts, corporate mergers and acquisitions within bankruptcy proceedings, financings and offerings, and general reorganization. We have helped our clients navigate through the uncertain bankruptcy process, including significant cases such as: In re: Select Snacks, Inc. (Ill. N. Bk.); In re: Comdisco Holding Company, Inc. (Ill. N. Bk.); In re: Montgomery Ward (Del. Bk.) and In re: Wolf Camera, Inc. (Ga. Bk.).

Civil & Commercial Litigation

Our firm also represents plaintiffs and defendants in civil and commercial litigation cases, including arbitrations. In our collective six decades of legal experience, we have represented clients in a variety of commercial disputes at all stages of litigation and the pre-litigation phase when pre-suit resolutions are sometimes possible to achieve (with the right counsel).

Insurance Bad-Faith Litigation

Based upon over twenty-five years of working for and against insurance companies, the firm represents plaintiffs or defendants in Bad-Faith Insurance cases with a high degree of success. Many carriers present themselves as “good neighbors” who settle claims based upon respect for their good faith obligations to you and other insureds.

Learn More...

However, these same carriers often deny or delay claims for a multitude of reasons, most of which lack legal merit and can be challenged in court. Carriers know that sometimes all they must do to avoid paying out a claim is deny it, because many insureds will not retain an attorney to assert their claim. Our firm has successfully held such carriers responsible for their illegal claims practices, and we know the intricacies of the Illinois Insurance Code and related case law to assert bad faith (which carries extra statutory penalties and attorneys’ fee provisions) and force carriers to honor a client’s legitimate insurance claim. We know the trigger points and concepts that determine these cases, and will achieve the result that the carrier sought to avoid when it first denied or delayed a particular claim.

Municipal & School District Reorganization

The attorneys of Grasso Law, P.C. are experienced in assisting clients, including municipalities and government units, navigating through financial difficulties and employing the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code to provide cover, protection, and time to reorganize and workout bad debt or other obligations.

Learn More...

Not only businesses, but also municipalities and local government or quasi-government units are beginning to experience the effects of the current “pandemic-induced recession” in year 2020. As businesses shutter their storefronts and offices and lay off their employees, the local governments that rely upon tax revenue are at risk of default and jeopardized operations due to inadequate cash.

The attorneys of Grasso Law, P.C. are experienced in assisting clients, including municipalities and government units, navigating through financial difficulties and employing the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code to provide cover, protection, and time to reorganize and workout bad debt or other obligations.

The Bankruptcy Code contains a specific chapter and particular mechanisms for government units. As soon as a petitioner files for bankruptcy protection, an “Automatic Stay” goes into effect which prevents creditors from pursuing collection efforts outside of the bankruptcy case. The statutory provisions of the Bankruptcy Code provide robust procedures for holding automatic stay violators accountable. The Bankruptcy Code also allows a debtor to continue its operations, including using available cash to fund ongoing obligations, including paying bankruptcy-related fees.

Sometimes debts are disputed or workouts are required for existing obligations, and the Bankruptcy Code is designed to resolve disputes through what is known as “adversary proceedings”. With almost twenty years of experience in handling bankruptcy matters, the attorneys of Grasso Law, P.C. are experienced in helping clients navigate through the uncertain bankruptcy process.

Real Estate

Real estate law can be complex and confusing. Our firm’s familiarity with real estate law can assist you in navigating the legal process by simplifying the matter and ensuring resolution of any transaction or conflict. We specialize in both simple and complex Residential and Commercial Purchases and Sales, Title and Contract Disputes, Transfer of Title and Ownership, Property Liens, Property Tax Appeals, Acquisitions pursuant to the Unclaimed Property Act, Purchases of Tax Sales, Municipal Condemnations, Abandoned & Tax Sale Properties.

Mediation: Professional Liability & Insurance Disputes

Mediation can be an effective and expeditious path to resolving cases. Gary Grasso has the experience in legal and medical malpractice cases, and insurance and bad-faith disputes, to help parties mediate the liability and damage issues in such cases to reach a just and fair result – in confidence. Gary strongly believes that in the right cases, where the facts and exposures are developed and appreciated, mediation is likely to bring an equitable and fair resolution to any case. Mediation allows the parties to face each other and air their positions respectfully and professionally. It is often faster, cost effective and decisive.