Stephen M. Komie

Principal

Stephen M. Komie is the founder of Komie and Associates, and he has over 40 years of experience successfully representing clients in state, federal, and international trials and appeals. Mr. Komie is best known for high profile cases such as his defense of Sandra Fabiano for child abuse and Roland Breault and John Carroccia for first degree murder, which were widely reported in the Illinois media. He has helped numerous clients achieve victory in criminal and civil trials across Illinois and the United States.

Mr. Komie provides his clients with dedicated, tenacious defense against criminal charges, and he has won many landmark decisions, including the 1995 asset forfeiture case of U.S. v. $506,231.00. He has argued five separate cases before the Illinois Supreme Court, most recently winning a decision in the 2017 case of People v. Ringland against an Illinois state prosecutor who had created his own illegal investigative police squad.

Stephen Komie has been recognized with a number of honors and awards throughout his career. In 2015, he served as an ambassador for the Rededication of the Magna Carta in Runnymede, England to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of this important legal document. In 2006, he served as a delegate to The Hague Convention on International Child Abduction in The Hague, Netherland. He has been named as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers and the American Trial Lawyers Association.

Mr. Komie has served as a leader among lawyers throughout his career. He has been a member of the Illinois State Bar Association's Assembly since 1985, and he has served on the ISBA's Board of Governors for 23 years. He authored the Attorney's Bill of Rights, which was adopted by the Illinois Supreme Court. He continues to fight for people's rights through his involvement in organizations such as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Bar Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th, 6th , 7th , and 8th Circuits
• U.S. District Court for Central, Northern, and Southern Illinois, the Northern District of Indiana, the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, Eastern District of Missouri, and Eastern District of Wisconsin
• U.S. Tax Court
• Illinois Supreme Court
• Faculty: Illinois State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Seminars and local Bar sponsored programs
• Panel attorney, Federal Defender Program, Northern District of Illinois

Education

• National College of DUI Defense Harvard Summer Session, (2016 and 2017)
• National College of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Public Defenders, (1977)
• DePaul College of Law, (J.D., 1976)
• University of Arizona, (B.A., M.A.)

Honors and Awards

• American Trial Lawyers Association National Public Service Award for Pro Bono Legal Representation of the Needle Exchange Program to Prevent the Spread of AIDS, July, 1994
• ISBA Board of Governors Award for Advocating Individual Rights of Lawyers in Disciplinary Proceedings and for Services to the Bar, June, 1991
• ISBA Certificate of Appreciation, 1986, 1990, 1991, 2001 and 2006
• CBA Certificate of Appreciation, 1984 and 1987
• Francis W. Parker School Alumni Service Award 2012
• 2012 ATLA Top 100 Trial Lawyers Award
• 2015 National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Award
• Martindale Hubbell "AV" rating
• Super Lawyer, 2005-2013, 2015-Present
• Elite Lawyer Founding Member, 2019-Present
• Illinois Leading Lawyer, 2015-2017
• America's Top 100 Criminal Defense Attorneys, 2019

ISBA Leadership and Activities

• Member Illinois State Bar Association, 1973-present
• Ambassador to Rededication of Magna Carta on 800th anniversary
• Elected Secretary 1996-1997
• Treasurer 1995-1996
• Elected Board of Governors 1992-2005, 2011-present
• Elected member of the Assembly 1985-2019
• Served as chairman of Committee on Credentials, and member of By-Laws Committee
• Member of the following committees:
  * Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, A.R.D.C. Committee
  * Chairman, Criminal Justice Section
  * Chairman, Committee on Professionalism
  * Family Law Committee
  * Mental Health Committee
  * Corrections and Sentencing Committee
  * Committee on Traffic Courts and the Law
• Appearances on legislative issues for ISBA at the General Assembly and United States Congress
• Former member ISBA Young Lawyers Section, and participant in annual local Outreach Meetings sponsored by Young Lawyers Section
• Director, Illinois Bar Foundation and elected IBF Pillar of the Profession

Other Bar Memberships

• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
• DuPage County Bar Association, Justinian Society, Women's Bar Association of Illinois
• Chicago Bar Association (CBA) Liaison to ABA Criminal Justice Section
• Past Chairperson of Criminal Law, and Defense of Prisoners Committees of the CBA
• Member of the American Bar Association, 1976-present
• Elected Member of the ABA Criminal Justice Section Council, Served on the Defense Function Committee of the Criminal Justice Section, and as Chair of the Small Firm and Solo Practitioner Committee, 1993-1995
• Founding Member Illinois Attorneys for Criminal Justice: Served on the Board of Directors and as the Parliamentarian of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), Member NACDL CFAA Reform White Collar Crime Subcommittee, 2014
• Member National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) Legal Committee
• Member Chicago Lincoln American Inn of Court; and International Bar Association (IBA) and Chairperson Family Law Section IBA, 2005-2007

Task Force Service

• Chairman, Task Force on Attorneys for Children 1997-1999
• ABA Small Firm and Solo Practitioners and ISBA Judicial Compensation, Governance for the New Century, and Protection of the Public From the Unauthorized Practice of Law

Lecturer

• Illinois State Bar Association CLE
• American Bar Association (ABA)
• American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA)
• Chicago Bar Association (CBA)
• Decalogue Society
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)
• Northwest Suburban Bar
• West Suburban Bar
• The John Marshall Law School
• IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
• Law Societies of: Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England & Wales
• International Bar Association
• Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• DePaul University College of Law

Publications

• The Magna Carta: 800 Years of the Rule of Law, Illinois Bar Journal, June 2015, Vol. 103, No. 6, Pg. 44
• Allegations of Child Abuse in Custody Disputes and Visitation Battles, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Illinois Family Law, 1998, 2008 & 2012
• ISBA Legislation Proposed to Protect Attorney/Client Relationship, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, March 12, 1987
• Little RICO Bill Should Not Be Passed, The Bar News, June, 1984
• Little RICO in Illinois, The Case Against It, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, April, 1984