Stephen J. Schlegel has wide ranging experience in the trial and appeal of complex property and casualty matters, multistate mass- and class action litigation, commercial matters dealing with intellectual property rights and trade secrets, and complex matters concerning trust and Estates. He also has significant experience in the not for profit sector.
Mr. Schlegel rose to national prominence in 1983 when he was appointed national lead counsel in In re Agent Orange Products Liability Litigation, the civil class action claims of Vietnam-era veterans seeking damages for exposure to herbicides during their service in Southeast Asia.
He was admitted to practice in Illinois in 1969, and was admitted previously in both New York, and Michigan, where he maintained active offices and litigated and tried many matters. He now practices in Illinois courts as well as numerous U.S. District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeal. He has also successfully appeared before the United States Supreme Court. His career has included presenting at law schools and before bar associations with focus on complex class and multistate litigation procedures, and recently has participated in law school programs promoting and teaching Restorative Justice principals. He has been actively involved in the American, Illinois, and Chicago Bar Associations, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and various committees thereof.
Stephen has had the highest possible peer review rating in legal ability and ethical standards by Martindale-Hubbell since 1990. In 2004, professional peers in Illinois recommended him as a leading lawyer in eight practice categories.
In addition, throughout the decades beginning in the 1970s, Mr. Schlegel has had a continuing relationship with many philanthropic causes. He continues to serve as Trustee and General Counsel the Union League Boys and Girls Clubs in Chicago. He is also a past board chair of Friends of the Forest Preserve District, and a Director of the Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club for 40 years. He is a Board member of the John David Mooney Foundation in Chicago. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the UIC College of Law in Chicago, co-teaching courses in Restorative Justice theory and practice.
Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, J.D. (1969) Northwestern University, B.A. (1966)
Illinois, 1969-Present New York (1984-2000) Michigan (1995-2005) United States Supreme Court United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Second Circuit United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan United States District Court for the Southern District of New York United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York United States Tax Court _______________________________________________________________________________
Associates
See: Peck Ritchey, LLC, "www.PeckRitcheyLLC.com" where Mr. Schlegel is now 'Of Counsel'
