Friday, September 14, 2012
Read part two of the legal report into the former village attorney paid for by the taxpayers of Oak Lawn.
The Oak Lawn Village Board voted Tuesday evening to release Godfrey and Kahn's report of its investigation into the former village attorney Tressler LLP. Godfrey and Kahn was hired by the village in May 2011 to conduct a second investigation into the former village attorney after it was alleged that the firm over billed the village, as well as mishandled some cases. Sign up for the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. Part II of the Godrey and Kahn report is 168 pages and includes an appendix of witnesses inteviewed for the report, including the mayor and Oak Lawn trustees, transcripts of executive sessions, and spreadsheets of legal fees billed to the village between October 2005 to September 2009. The report was obtained …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Read part one of the legal report into the former village attorney paid for by the taxpayers of Oak Lawn.
The Oak Lawn Village Board voted Tuesday evening to release Godfrey and Kahn's report of its investigation into the former village attorney Tressler LLP. Godfrey and Kahn was hired by the village in May 2011 to conduct a second investigation of the former village attorney after it was alleged that the firm over billed the village, as well as mishandled some cases. Sign up for the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. Some village board members also accused the mayor of blocking efforts to fire the law firm when it became apparent that the village's legal fees had tripled because he had friends at the firm. The village settled for $500,000 with the law firm that served as Oak Lawn's legal counsel between 2005 and 2009. Tied to…
Oak Lawn trustees won't fight freedom of information act request for confidential legal report on former village attorney.
The Oak Lawn Village Board will not fight a freedom of information act request filed by mayoral candidate Dr. Sandra Bury to release a confidential legal report into the former village attorneys on Tuesday. Sign up for the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. Village trustees voted unanimously not to fight Bury’s appeal to the Illinois Attorney General after the village denied her FOIA request in July. Tressler, Soderstrom, Maloney and Preiss—now known as Tressler LLP—settled with the village for $500,000 in April after a lengthy investigation of its legal billings by a Wisconsin-based firm specializing in white-collar defense and investigations. The settlement came with a confidentiality agreement that the report compiled …
41.720505
-87.752695
Village of Oak Lawn
9446 Raymond Ave, Oak Lawn, IL
/articles/trustees-vote-6-0-to-release-confidential-legal-report
327793
/locations/7798798
Monday, September 3, 2012
Sandra Bury thanks Mayor Dave Heilmann for his pledge to not fight release of confidential report on Oak Lawn's former legal team.
It was with great pleasure that I learned of Mayor Heilmann’s remarks to the press which appear to support my Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the release of the Confidential Legal Investigation Report. The Village of Oak Lawn has denied my prior requests, even though this information was prepared at taxpayer expense and concerns our elected officials. Tressler (Oak Lawn’s prior legal team) was contractually appointed to be responsible for the defense of the agreement should FOIA requests occur. Their communication with the Village on September 29th stated they would not fight my FOIA request. The Village of Oak Lawn is now free to release it or fight it at their own expense. There isn’t a living soul who thinks that more …
Friday, August 31, 2012
Oak Lawn officials that former village attorney would not fight appeal to Illinois Attorney General for release of confidential report as part of legal settlement with village. Village board has until Sept. 5 to defend or release it.
The former village attorney won’t fight the release of an investigative report that it had allegedly overbilled Oak Lawn millions of dollars in legal fees between 2005 and 2009. Subcribe to the Oak Lawn Patch newsletter and breaking news alerts. Tressler, Soderstrom, Maloney and Preiss—now known as Tressler LLP—settled with the village for $500,000 in April after a lengthy investigation into its legal billings by a Wisconsin-based firm specializing in white collar defense and investigation. The Oak Lawn Village Board unanimously approved to accept the settlement which came with a confidentiality agreement that the village would be fined $50,000 should the report become public. Patch received a copy of a confidential email late Thursday …
Monday, October 3, 2011
Politics or a legitimate investigation? Whatever it is, it's so far costing Oak Lawn taxpayers over $200,000.
The tab for the investigation into alleged malpractice and overbillings by the village’s former legal counsel is now over $200,000. Legal billings for Godfrey and Kahn – the Wisconsin-based firm hired to conduct a second audit of former village attorneys Tressler, Soderstrom, Maloney and Preiss – is now $183,671. READ Village of Oak Lawn Legal Tab: Taxpayers’ Money at Work The latest bills to date were acquired from the village by a Freedom of Information Act request. Combined with other billings from Odelson and Sterk for $10,477, and a second bill from current village attorneys Querrey and Harrow for $6,392 – the total cost to Oak Lawn taxpayers now stands at $200,540. Tressler handled the village’s legal business beginning in October …
41.720505
-87.752695
Village of Oak Lawn
9446 Raymond Ave, Oak Lawn, IL
/articles/villages-legal-tab-for-investigation-into-former-attorneys-grows
327793
/locations/5506864
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Attorney from law firm hired to investigate the former village attorneys discloses past connection to Trustee Tom Phelan.
An attorney from the new law firm that has been hired to audit the village’s former legal counsel disclosed to the Oak Lawn Village Board that he and Trustee Tom Phelan (Dist. 6) both belonged to the same college fraternity chapter. Godfrey & Kahn – which touts a former Watergate prosecutor and former U.S. attorney on its white-collar defense team – was hired by the village to conduct a high-level investigation into possible overbillings and malpractice by the former village attorneys last month. Eric Wilson and another attorney from the firm's white-collar defense and investigations group met with village board members to discuss potential litigation against the former village attorneys on June 14. Wilson revealed his past relationship …
41.720505
-87.752695
Village of Oak Lawn
9446 Raymond Ave, Oak Lawn, IL
/articles/he-aint-heavy-hes-my-frat-brother
327793
/locations/4718035
QC
4:07 pm on Friday, September 21, 2012
QC?? = BS Really? Your friend aka the G&K attorney said that? See Doc. 3B PAGE 51, e-mail from Gail Paul To Heilmann: " I checked my phone records and Mr. Wilson first notified me in June 2011. I told Mr. Wilson at that time I was NOT INTERESTED in getting involved this legal matter. Approximately two months LATER, (august 2011) when we spoke you never asked me not to participate in the legal … more ›