The House On Choctaw Road
The Illinois Administrator has filed a complaint alleging systematic unauthorized practice by a New York attorney who resided in Illinois.
In December 2003, Respondent moved to Illinois and leased a single-family house located at 7400 Choctaw Road, Palos Heights, Illinois (“the Choctaw Road house”), from Said and Nancy Ghusein (“the Ghuseins”), for one year. Respondent agreed to pay monthly rent to the Ghuseins in the amount of $1,650. Respondent and the Ghuseins thereafter agreed to extend the term of the lease each year, until 2013.
At all times alleged in this complaint, the Ghuseins owned and operated a retail bridal clothing business located in Oak Lawn, Illinois, which operated under several trade names, including the names, “Eva’s Bridal” and “Exclusives for the Bride.”
In September 2004, Respondent and the Ghuseins agreed that Respondent would represent them and their business in pending and future Cook County legal matters relating to their business. At that time, Respondent and the Ghuseins agreed that the Ghuseins would pay Respondent’s legal fees by waiving his $1,650 monthly rent obligation for the Choctaw Road house and allow Respondent to reside in the Choctaw Road house.
The complaint alleges that his efforts to gain Illinois admission foundered on the shoals of concerns about unauthorized practice and that he improperly represented the clients in a host of legal matters.
The allegations
Respondent’s business cards…are false and misleading because they identify Respondent as an attorney at an Illinois address and do not state that Respondent is not authorized to practice in Illinois or that the only state in which Respondent was licensed was New York.
Between January 1, 2010 and at least June 2014, Respondent provided the business cards… to attorneys, judges, and others to lead them to believe that he had been generally admitted to the Illinois bar and that he had been authorized to practice law in Illinois without limitation.
Between at least January 1, 2010 and April 20, 2016, the date a complaint was voted by an Inquiry Panel of the Commission, Respondent has maintained a law office, and has maintained a continuous and systematic presence within the State of Illinois, by practicing state law from offices in his residences at the Choctaw Road house and 6201 West 124th Street in Palos Heights and identifying himself as an attorney at the UPS facility address without disclosing that his sole law license was from New York.
It is further alleged that he made false statements to judges and the ARDC. (Mike Frisch)