Illinois Constitutional Lawyers

Constitutional Law

134 N LaSalle St, Chicago, IL 60602, USA

Area of Practice: Civil Rights Mr. Neslund is an experienced trial attorney who has won millions of dollars for his clients, including a $5 million dollar settlement in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke and, most recently, a $4.75 million dollar verdict, where an officer shot three siblings at a New Year’s Eve party. Mr. Neslund has extensive jury trial experience in both Federal and State Courts. He practices nationally, and specializes in cases involving police brutality, wrongful death, wrongful convictions, false arrests, as well as catastrophic personal injuries caused by negligence. Mr. Neslund has been widely recognized for his insight and experience in police brutality and related Constitutional issues. Mr. Neslund has appeared on local, national and international television and radio to comment on his own cases and related civil rights issues. Mr. Neslund has appeared on CNN, HLN, MSNBC, the BBC, Chicago’s ABC, NBC, CBS, WGN and FOX news. To see Mr. Neslund’s interviews and commentaries, see our “In the News” section. The settlement in the Laquan McDonald case brought a microscope of national and international attention to the shooting itself as well as the City of Chicago’s Code of Silence in trying to cover up misconduct in police shootings. The United States Department of Justice initiated a federal investigation into the facts and circumstances of the shooting as well as a policy and practice review of the entire Chicago Police Department. Officer Van Dyke was ultimately convicted of second Degree Murder and 16 counts of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm. In addition to his civil work, Mr. Neslund is an accomplished criminal defense attorney. He is a former prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Gang Crimes Unit where he tried exclusively First Degree Murder cases involving the various street gangs in Chicago. Mr. Neslund has successfully defended hundreds of clients in both State and Federal Courts. Mr. Neslund graduated magna cum laude from Boston College in 1989 and with honors from the University of Florida College of Law in 1992, where he was an editor on the Florida Law Review.

Constitutional Law

151 N. Franklin, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60614

One of the most prominent election lawyers in the country, Michael has represented hundreds of clients in high-profile cases, including Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Secretary of State Jesse White and many other members of Congress and the General Assembly. Previously General Counsel to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Parliamentarian to the Illinois House of Representatives, he currently serves as General Counsel and Treasurer for the Democratic Party of Illinois. Michael was the lead attorney in the successful defense to the 2010 residency challenge of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In January 2009, he served as House Prosecutor in the impeachment trial of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. He has also successfully defended the state’s congressional and legislative redistricting plans in federal court. The Chicago Tribune has called him “a highly skilled attorney who successfully argued the Supreme Court should strike down the 2016 ballot initiative known as the Illinois Independent Redistricting Map Amendment.” Michael is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and the University of Notre Dame. Born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, he lives in Lincoln Park with his wife, Kerry, and their two daughters.

Constitutional Law

3318 W 95th St, Evergreen Park, IL 60805, USA

Area of Practice: Elections and Local Government Law Ross D. Secler focuses his practice on representing municipalities, townships, and other local governments as their general counsel. Ross additionally has a wide array of experience in election and political law, counseling clients through the strategic, legal, and regulatory frameworks governing political campaigns, organizations, and candidates, which includes litigation before the Circuit, Appellate, and Supreme Courts. Ross then works to guide elected officials so they can best serve in their official roles. Ross grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago and received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University before earning his Juris Doctor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Prior to joining Odelson, Murphey, Frazier & McGrath, Ltd., Ross was the founding partner of an election law firm in Chicago where he represented municipal, statewide, judicial, county-wide, Congressional, US Senate, and US Presidential candidates. Ross has also served as a member of the Standing Rules Committee for a National Nominating Convention. Prior to practicing law, Ross worked with a non-profit advocacy group in Washington D.C. Ross has also worked directly on a number of political campaigns for candidates running for Congress, the Illinois General Assembly, and the City of Chicago. Ross recently co-authored the article, Is the Party Over? You Don’t Have to Go Home, But you Can’t Stay Here: Political Party Affiliation, Trends, and Requirements After Patton v. Illinois State Board of Election (John Marshall Law Review, Vol. 51, Issue 4). He served as the Chairperson of the Chicago Bar Association’s Election Law Committee and serves as a member of the CBA’s Legislative Committee, in addition to being a member of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. Ross has been named as one of the “Rising Stars” of Illinois by Super Lawyers every year from 2018 through 2023 and was selected as an “Emerging Lawyer” by the Leading Lawyers division of Law Bulletin Media.