Michael Sever Email & Phone Number

Greater Chicago Area

Notable victories:October 2024: Won Summary Judgment for client in quiet title action over vehicle ownership.April 2024: Won Summary Judgment, plus attorneys' fees and punitive damages in Walworth Co. Circuit Court on behalf of auctioneer client against delinquent bidder.May 2023: Won dismissal for auctioneer client in Osceola Co. Court, FL, with attorneys' fees award.October 2022: Summary Judgment affirmed by Wisconsin Court of Appeals, who found trial court correctly considered Danish motorcycle consignor's derelict answers to Requests for Admission to be fact admissions, and awarded ownership of 5 motorcycles to auction house. March 2022: Won Summary Judgment for engineer whose design allegedly caused flooding of a residential property in Racine County, Wisconsin. Plaintiffs had nothing to present in response to dispositive motion practice showing engineer owed no duty, did not breach standard of care, and was not proximate cause of loss.August 2021: Won summary judgment and attorneys' fees on breach of contract claim for a corporate client on an unpaid promissory note in Cook County, Illinois.May 2021: Won Summary Judgment for auctioneer client in Walworth Co., Wisconsin. Court found that Danish consignor was actually not the owner of five vintage motorcycles, and awarded ownership of the motorcycles to the auctioneer.May 2020: Won Summary Judgment for Design Professional in DuPage Co., Illinois. Court found that Design Professional's subcontractor had contractually assigned its duty to indemnify the design professional from any negligence claims to the Defendant, its successor entity.Jun. 2019: Affirmed on Appeal in foreign judgment enforcement action. In unanimous ruling, North Carolina Court of Appeals found that contract at issue was entered into in Wisconsin, and therefore, NC statute barring adjudication of disputes arising out of contracts “entered into in North Carolina” was inapplicable.

Greater Chicago Area

Notable victories:--November 2018: Six-figure judgment at trial in favor of auctioneer client on breach of contract action against delinquent bidder.--May 2018: On 16 hours' notice, successfully defended auctioneer client against Fortune 10 company's Motion for TRO to stop motor vehicle sale. TRO was denied and vehicle sold for $1.65 Million.--August 2017: Successfully defended corporate client from state regulatory action based on consumer complaint in Wisconsin.--August 2017: Won summary judgment for structural engineer client on breach of contract claim. Despite the breach, the court found that Plaintiff suffered no damages.--March 2017: Won summary judgment for corporate client in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Plaintiff claimed he was "defrauded" following an "as-is" motor vehicle purchase. Court found that Plaintiff lacked justifiable reliance, and had suffered no damages. --September 2016: Successfully defended corporate client from adverse state regulatory action based upon a consumer complaint in Florida, despite the prior adverse trial verdict.--Spring 2016-Present: Successfully enforced contracts for corporate client without the need for litigation. Opposing counsel once conceded "I didn't return your phone call because I saw that 312 area code. No good news ever comes out of Chicago."--February 2016: Won summary judgment for an architect client in Jasper County, Illinois.

Greater Chicago Area

Led investigations, coordinated lab exams, provided analysis and strategy for clients, drafted pleadings Worked on cases in areas of property subrogation and workers’ compensation subrogation

Greater Chicago Area

Worked to represent individuals, corporations,and insurers in civil litigation nationwide. --Started firm’s product liability defense practice group, which outperformed client expectations--Coordinated, managed, and led multi-party investigations of loss sites and evidence lab examinations--Conducted and defended depositions of lay and expert witnesses--Argued and won dispositive motions including motions for summary judgment--Developed theories of cases with expert witnesses including fire investigators, engineers, and doctors--Worked on cases in areas including product liability, insurance defense, and property subrogation--Drafted pleadings, motions, discovery, document productions--Provided analysis and strategy to clients on status of cases, next steps, and chances of recovery--Researched for litigation practice group, as well as for firm article publications--Negotiated cases to settlement and recovery, prepared mediation presentations--Helped develop new clients through personal interaction and research into clients’ needs--Prepared and presented CLE (Carmack Amendment, Bad Faith Claims) to educate firm and clients

Greater St. Louis Area

Provided pro bono legal representation through SLU Law Legal Clinic for clients accused of juvenile delinquency. Assembled cases for trial, negotiated plea deals, conducted investigations, interviewed witnesses, drafted pleadings and discovery, and counseled clients in an environment featuring fast turnaround-times of 3 weeks from arrest to trial in St. Louis City Family Court.Despite each client being charged with a felony, successfully resolved each of their cases without any felony convictions for clients.Researched for cases pending appeal before the Missouri Court of Appeals (Western District), and in landlord/tenant cases in St. Louis.

Greater Chicago Area

Argued cases in Felony Narcotics Prosecution Bureau at Bridgeview and Branch 48 (51st and Wentworth) courthouses. Cases ranged from retail thefts to gun charges to prostitution and gang-related narcotics transactions.Represented the People of the State of Illinois in court in approximately 300 criminal prosecutions, arguing motions, preliminary hearings, and bench trials.Performed legal research and assisted ASAs on other felony cases heading to trial.

Greater Chicago Area

--Researched and verified case law submitted in motions in Law Division Courtroom--Prepared memoranda on the merits of each argument and supporting case law for judge's review.

Greater Chicago Area

--Created a bank of documents from discovery for convenient electronic retrieval by counsel--Taught attorneys Microsoft Office features for use in litigation

Greater Chicago Area

--Worked on project to convert firm's records from paper retrieval system to electronic system

Washington D.C. Metro Area

--Capitol Hill office for Congressman Don Manzullo (IL-16)--"Did the work of four interns" in handling constituent relations, giving Capitol tours, answering constituent correspondence and researching policy for Legislative staff

Juris Doctor, Law

Activities and Societies: Public Interest Law Group, Federalist Society, Legal Clinic Concentrations in CivilLitigation Skills.

Bachelor Of Arts, Political Science, History

Activities and Societies: Les Aspin Center for Government, Pi Sigma Alpha, Phi Alpha Theta, Students for Warriors, Marquette Curling Club.

Education record

Education record