PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS
The long used historic name of Utica Street is no more. To honor the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the City of Waukegan enacted an ordinance renaming Utica Street in honor of the slain civil rights leader. The thoroughfare is in a high profile location as it runs behind the Lake County Courthouse, abuts Waukegan’s City Hall and is home to several of the county’s most prominent law firms. In a ceremony held on the federal holiday that commemorates Dr. King’s birthday, Utica Street was officially renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue. For brevity’s sake, all letterhead and documentation from our firm will use the address “200 N. King Avenue.”
Bond & Associates, P.C.
Spring Newsletter 2002
In this issue…
Recent Verdict
Meet our Staff
Referrals – Our Best Source of Business
Areas of Practice
In early 2001, our firm filed a lawsuit against one of the oldest and most established insurance companies in the country. Our client alleged substantial damages as the result of numerous and repeated breaches of a contract.
Although the case was filed in Waukegan, the defendant exercised its right to have the case removed to the Federal District Court in Chicago. The judge put the case on the fast track and was unwilling to allow any continuances. This occurred despite the fact that over 5000 pages of documents were exchanged in discovery and that numerous witnesses, including some out of state, had to be deposed.
Ted Bond, Jr. was lead counsel for the Plaintiffs. He was opposed by three other lawyers from one of the highest priced law firms in the state. Those lawyers saw an opportunity to try to overwhelm Ted with work given the fast track insisted upon by the judge. Ted refused to buckle. He met every court ordered deadline and was fully prepared to proceed to trial as scheduled.
Defense counsel repeatedly lectured Ted on the supposed weakness of his client’s case and how the Plaintiff had absolutely no chance of prevailing at trial. In what was termed a “gift”, the Defendants offered Ted’s client $50,000.00 to settle. The Defendants were expecting it would cost them at least that much in legal fees to get the case to trial. Ted and his client stood firm and refused to accept what they considered to be an insulting offer.
A jury trial commenced in January of this year. Ted presented some ten witnesses and hundreds of documents into evidence. Defense counsel was so sure of the strength of its case that it presented only one witness and a few documents into evidence. At the conclusion of the trial and just prior to the time the jury began to deliberate, senior lead counsel for the defense reminded Ted that their $50,000.00 offer was still pending. He informed Ted that the Defendants felt that the entire trial had gone their way.
Ted and his client felt otherwise and rejected the offer. The smugness of the Defendants resulted in them allowing a junior attorney to present a poor and unpersuasive closing argument. Ted’s closing argument, on the other hand, was concise, highly organized and well received by the jury.
The jury deliberated for approximately 5 hours. A verdict was reached in favor of the Plaintiffs in the amount of $1,500,000. The Defendants were absolutely shocked and presented multiple post-trial motions attacking every aspect of the trial. The federal judge who presided over the case rejected each of those motions without comment and entered judgment consistent with the jury’s verdict.
“Juries can be unpredictable,” said Ted Bond, Jr., our firm’s founder. “While we make every reasonable effort to settle civil disputes, sometimes a compromise can not be reached. When a case must proceed to trial, you need a competent, aggressive and experienced lawyer. In this case, settlement or a verdict more favorable to the Defendant likely could have been achieved but for the arrogant and unbending attitude of the Defendant’s overpriced army of lawyers.”
Our firm has the knowledge and experience to advise you when settlement is appropriate and when full blown litigation is necessary. When a case must proceed to trial, our results are consistently positive and often exceed the expectations of our clients. If you or anyone you know has a civil dispute, whether it be a personal injury matter, a breach of contract case, a family law matter or otherwise, please have them contact the Law Offices of Thaddeus M. Bond, Jr. & Associates, P.C. Let us put our ability and record of success to work for you.
Lori Weiss Berdenis joined the Law Offices of Thaddeus M. Bond, Jr. & Associates, P.C. as an associate attorney in August of 2001. Lori has an extensive background in Real Estate, Family Law and Bankruptcy. She also has experience in other areas of law such as Collections, Commercial Law, Civil Litigation, Probate, Contract Disputes, Criminal, Traffic, and Juvenile.
Lori was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1993, having earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois in 1989 and her Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University–College of Law in 1992.
Lori is currently on the Board of the Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County. She is also a member of the Lake County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and the Volunteer Lawyers Program and is a former Court Appointed Special Advocate.
Lori has lived in Lake County since 1994 and has practiced law in Lake County since 1995. She has represented a wide variety of clients in various areas of law and has done so with much compassion, caring and empathy. Lori is very excited to being able to contribute to such an extensive and
well-established law practice.
REFERRALS ARE OUR BEST SOURCE OF BUSINESS
If you are receiving this newsletter, one or more of the members of our firm has represented you in a past legal matter or dispute and we thank you for your business. Were you satisfied with the service you received and the results we obtained? Did you feel that our fees were fair and reasonable? If so, please feel free to refer our firm to your friends, family and acquaintances. We strive to make our clients happy and nothing says thank you better than repeat business or a referral.
Our firm handles a wide variety of cases. While we may have helped you in one area of the law, you may not be aware that we also handle:
- Real estate law
- Residential closings
- Commercial closings
- Landlord representation
- Title disputes and litigation
- Family law
- Divorce
- Child support
- Custody/Visitation
- Paternity
- Adoption
- Orders of protection
- Prenuptial agreements
- Personal Injury
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Slip and fall
- Dog bites
- Products Liability
- Medical Malpractice
- Wrongful Death
- Worker’s compensation
- Civil litigation
- Wills and trusts
- Small business formation and representation
- Criminal Law and Traffic Violations: Although we do not handle these types of cases, we can refer you to competent legal counsel
INITIAL CONSULTATIONS ARE ALWAYS FREE
SE HABLA ESPANOL
