Michael E. Pildes

With over 50 years of experience, Michael represents plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts throughout the country. Michael specializes in litigation, negotiations, and litigation strategy, including domestic relations and probate, and also serves as an arbitrator and mediator. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals For The Armed Forces, the United States Court of Appeals For the Seventh Circuit, United States District Courts in Illinois and Wisconsin, and Michael is a member of the Federal Trial Bar.

Michael’s accomplishments include:

• The negotiated release of a victim in an international kidnapping incident.
• A $4.5 million jury verdict for a man struck by a truck while driving a motor vehicle.
• A multi-million dollar settlement for limited partner investors against the general partner of a real estate investment partnership.
• A $2.8 million jury verdict for the family of a teenage boy who drowned in a condominium swimming pool.
• A settlement in excess of $1 million for a teenage girl who had jumped from the porch of a residential psychiatric facility.
• A jury verdict for a son whose trust funds had been wrongfully taken by his father.
• Negotiated settlement of class action litigation brought by hundreds of restaurant employees against their employer.

Michael also has:

• Litigated the classification and allocation of millions of dollars in assets in domestic relations litigation.
• Acted as special litigation counsel to an Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
• Represented an Admiral in the United States Navy against charges brought under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
• Litigated and negotiated the settlements of patent and trademark infringement lawsuits.
• Counseled a client concerning the proper disposal of radioactive materials and waste under federal and state regulations.
• Successfully defended a probate estate against multi-million dollar claims by the decedent’s relatives. 

After graduating from the University of Illinois, Michael earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University in 1966.