Philip Corboy, 'the Jack Nicklaus of trial lawyers', dies

Philip Corboy, a nationally known personal injury attorney, died early this morning at his home in Chicago. He was 87.
“Phil was a kind, compassionate and marvelous lawyer, and a wonderful husband," his wife, Mary Dempsey, said in a statement issued by the law firm. "I want him to be remembered as someone who cared about people he loved and people he represented.”
Corboy, who co-founded the law firm of Corboy & Demetrio, had practiced personal injury trial law for more than 50 years.
The National Law Journal listed Corboy as one of the top 100 most influential lawyers in the country since beginning its survey in 1985
Thomas A. Demetrio released a statement calling his partner "an extraordinary lawyer but an even better human being. His accomplishments in the courtroom pale in comparison to his contributions to his fellow man. His life was long and filled with much love, happiness and success –at all levels. While he’ll be missed greatly, his spirit and legacy will live on for generations.”
Appellate Court Judge Terrence Lavin said he was hired in 1981 to be Corboy's law clerk and served in that capacity for two years and worked as a lawyer in his firm for another four years. The two men became close friends and when Lavin was sworn in as an appellate court judge two years ago, his mentor was "right there in the front row, Lavin said.

"He was just an amazing man, the word legendary is over used but it was aptly used for him," said Lavin. "He was the Jack Nicklaus of trial lawyers, he was a guy who was great across the decades."

Corboy was trying million dollar cases beginning in the 1960s and extending through four decades, said Lavin. He said Corboy had a record verdict when he was well into his 60s, said Lavin.
"He was the kind of guy who was always a cutting-edge person," said Lavin.
Corboy was among the first to do research on picking a jury in personal injury cases, a practice that is now common place for trial lawyers. He also championed using computers in law firms for management purposes, said Lavin.
"On a human level he was probably the most emphatic person that I've ever met," said Lavin. "As a lawyer he could explain the plight of somebody who was brain-damaged or rendered a quadripheligic in such a light a jury could really understand how it must have been to be that person."

Corboy grew up in an apartment over a tavern in the Rogers Park neighborhood and was the son of a Chicago police officer, Lavin said.

He attended St. George High School and attended Loyola Law School.

Corboy was trained by legendary trial lawyer Jim Dooley who went on to become a state Supreme Court judge.
Corboy was an ambitious man whose goal was to take away the negative stigma attached to personal injury lawyers as ambulance chasers.
"When he was coming up it definitely was a back water kind of practice," said Lavin.
Lavin remembered that when Corboy hired him, Corboy handed him his own resume that listed his associations, boards and charitable organizations he had sat on or wrote for.
"He said if you want to be perceived as a great professional do what I do here, try cases, give speeches, write articles...be active in your community and care about charitable affairs," said Lavin. "He was president of everything wanted to be president of...a very, very accomplished guy."
He said that in addition to three grown sons, one of whom is a partner in the firm, he had two other children who died. A young son died when he was 12 years old after a careless driver drove a car onto a sidewalk and fatally struck the boy who was on a sidewalk riding his bicycle.
A daughter, Joan Corboy who was a circuit court judge died in 1999 in a freak accident in Corboy's condo in Florida.
"He was properly perceived as being probably the best trial lawyer in Chicago and maybe one of the best in America," said Lavin.

Corboy was a former president of the Chicago Bar Association, former president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, former chairman of the Section of Litigation of the American Bar Association and former chair of the American Bar Association's Special Committee on Medical Professional Liability.

In 2010, he and his wife made the largest single gift ever to the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. In recognition, Loyola renamed its law school building the Philip H. Corboy Law Center.

According to articles on the firm’s website, Corboy was the son of a Chicago police officer and grew up in Rogers Park. He attended college at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, before serving a stint in the Army and returning to Chicago.

In a 2004 profile in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, Corboy contemplated his legacy and said he was proud of having represented “people who are in need at the destitute time in their lives.”

“When I’m gone, I hope people will say two words,” he said. “ ‘He cared.' "

A spokeswoman for the law firm said Corboy died at his home at 3:30 a.m.

Survivors include his wife, three sons, Philip Harnett Corboy Jr., John R. Corboy and Thomas M. Corboy; eight grandchildren; and a brother. His only daughter, Judge Joan Marie Corboy, died at age 45, and his youngest son, Robert J. Corboy, died at age 12.

The funeral will be held at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Quinn and Emmanual better step up the a game on CWP's or law abiding people will start attacking back and staking the bodies on your home door step so you can explain to your kids why a dead body is gutted and laying there

After reading this article I think it is high time we American born citezens carry a firearm and say fuck Illinois law. Our politicians are to busy trying to steal more money out your pocket then to try to stop the violance. If they really wanted to they can they choose not so they can milk us for more money and pass laws that are unconstitutional and violate every law our founding father's wrote out dated or not I am carrying off duty and I challange any cop who values everything they worked hard for to arrest me on a UUW I dare them cause when I am done not only am I going to take your home and everything you own I will nail the state and county I am arrested in. If all American's had this additude and stepped up to these politicians they would not be robbing you of your hard earned money. Proof of Example Illinois vehicle code state blowing a red light is a traffic violation but all the villages and City have done is make it an ordinance. Under Illinois vehicle code your are responcible for your car so if I were to drive your car and I was caught blowing a red light it is my ticket to fight in court but since it is you own the car your responcible for the red light ticket. The seat belt laws violate your right to religious beliefs under the Constitution let alone the UUW law which violates the 2nd Amendment but read this article


With homicides soaring so far this year and another bloody weekend in the books, Chicago police intend to announce at roll calls that overtime will be paid to officers working their days off beginning this weekend, according to a department-issued memo obtained by the Tribune.

The communication from First Deputy Superintendent Alfonza Wysinger makes clear that the initiative is targeted at curbing the growing violence. It comes at a time when the city is struggling with budget woes.

It was unclear if the overtime would be paid throughout the summer or how many officers would be tapped for the program, but the officers could be assigned anywhere in the city, the internal memo said.

"Officers will be expected to implement aggressive, proactive violence reduction policing methods including but not limited to street stops, traffic stops, foot patrol, physical arrests and enforcement missions," the memo said.

The Fraternal Order of Police, which has been critical of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Superintendent Garry McCarthy for not hiring additional officers to combat the rising violence, called the overtime initiative a "Band-Aid approach."

"We've had 1,000 officers retire in the last two years. They've (the department) hired 150," said Pat Camden, the FOP spokesman.

The potentially costly measure comes on the heels of a hot and sunny weekend in which 53 people were shot, nine of them fatally, statistics compiled by the Tribune show.

The weekend ranked as among the worst so far this year, comparable to an unseasonably hot weekend in March and Memorial Day weekend.

For weeks, McCarthy has emphasized that overall crime is down from last year. But homicides are another story. Through Sunday, 223 people were slain in Chicago, up 36 percent from the same period last year, according to a Police Department spokeswoman.

In that same period, there have been 967 shootings, up 11 percent from a year earlier.

Between Friday afternoon and early Monday morning, 16 of the weekend's shooting victims were wounded in Lawndale and Little Village, two West Side neighborhoods that fall within the department's Ogden District, the Tribune's analysis showed. From Jan. 1 through May 27, the district led the city with 21 homicides, a 110 percent increase from the same time period in 2011, according to department statistics. At the same time, shootings there jumped 51 percent, the department said.

Emanuel, while attending a news conference Monday with Gov. Pat Quinn to announce the signing of state racketeering legislation giving county prosecutors more ammunition to go after gang leaders, did not take questions about the violent weekend. The law, modeled after the federal RICO law, allows local authorities to seize gang assets such as drug proceeds and real estate. It takes effect immediately.

On Monday afternoon, about 70 people gathered outside St. Sabina Catholic Church in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood to decry the violence. The Rev. Michael Pfleger, the church's outspoken pastor, called on residents to take a stand.

"It's not just numbers. It's not just statistics," he said of the increase in homicides. "These are human beings."

For Tonya Burch, the weekend violence brings back painful memories of son Deontae Smith's fatal shooting in August 2009.

"It just brings back so much," she said as she passed out fliers advertising a $10,000 award for anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of her son's killer.

"People are standing around like it's nothing."

A disorderly conduct charge any other time of your life time is now concidered domestic terrorsim really people

Three Nato activists were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism but if this was some low life scum bag animal gang banging pussy or dope dealer it would have been a misdeminor dis orderly conduct. they didn't use them they were in posession. But what gets me is gangs and other wildings can jump on, rob, beat up, mugged, stabbed, and shoot inocent people and nothing is done but God forbid you bring a molotov cocktail any other day of the year but since it was Nato oh got to charge them with the patriot act fucking idiot politics at thier best. I can do the same job as the Governor and President for cheaper pay they make 6 to 9  figures a year you only need to pay me 5 figures a year. Fuck Obama and Fuck Quinn. For the full story continue reading

Three NATO summit activists will appear in a Chicago courtroom to face terrorism-related charges that accuse them of plotting to attack President Barack Obama's campaign headquarters and other targets with Molotov cocktails.

Cook County prosecutors are expected to formally obtain indictment of the men around the time of their Tuesday hearing.

Defense attorneys say all three -- Brian Church, 20, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Jared Chase, 27, of Keene, N.H.; and Brent Betterly, 24, of Oakland Park, Fla., -- intend to enter not-guilty pleas. It's unclear if they'll do that Tuesday.

The case stands out because state, not federal prosecutors are leading the prosecution. U.S. attorneys have taken the lead in the majority of terrorism cases nationwide since Sept. 11, 2001.

This is the first time Illinois has invoked anti-terrorism laws adopted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

All three suspects have remained in jail since their arrests days before May's NATO summit



Copy of the complaint below:

Crete tells Quinn to fuck off and withdraws from detention center consideration

Crete’s village board on Monday voted to withdraw the south suburb from consideration for a federal immigration detention center, said Village President Mike Einhorn.

The unanimous decision of the six-member board of trustees followed months of organized opposition among residents to the proposed detention center.

“There hasn’t been community support for a while,” said village Trustee Daniel Bachert.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement selected Crete as a potential site for the detention center last year, Einhorn said.

In December, residents began organizing against the proposal, arguing that a detention center within village limits would depress local property values and pose a potential security threat, said Laurene Lambertino-Urquizo, one of the organizers of the opposition movement in Crete.

A petition against the detention center had garnered more than 1,500 signatures, Lambertino-Urquizo said.

“Up into the very end I think everybody including myself was on the fence about this one,” Einhorn said.

State trooper scuffles with man walking along Interstate 57

An Illinois state trooper scuffled with a man walking along Interstate 57 near south suburban University Park this morning, authorities said.

The incident happened at about 1:15 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-57 at Stuenkel Road, several miles west of Governors State University, authorities said.

The trooper tried to speak with the 48-year-old man who was walking along the shoulder of the darkened highway when the man became combative, state police said.

The two scuffled and both suffered minor injuries: the man to his head and face, the trooper to his hands, police said.

Both were taken to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, authorities said.

No charges have been filed.