Michael I. Leonard

About Michael I. Leonard

Mike Leonard is a highly esteemed trial attorney with a national reputation. His legal practice primarily focuses on Federal and State criminal cases, as well as civil matters such as employment disputes, whistleblower claims, retaliation cases, qui tam (False Claims Act) lawsuits, commercial and business disputes, and personal injury cases. Over the course of his thirty-year career, Mike has dedicated himself to the courtroom, serving as a trial attorney and litigator.

Notably, Mike is recognized as a unique practitioner, as he is believed to be the only attorney currently practicing who has achieved six or more complete not guilty jury verdicts across all counts and charges in Federal criminal prosecutions initiated by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. In recent Federal criminal jury trials, Mike secured four not guilty verdicts on all counts and charges, obtained a dismissal of all charges during a trial, and encountered a mistrial. This impressive track record includes one of the rare Federal criminal not guilty jury verdicts in the Northern District of Illinois in 2020.

In the realm of civil trials, Mike's accomplishments have been equally noteworthy, encompassing Illinois State courts in Cook, Kane, DuPage, and Lake Counties, as well as Federal courts across the United States, including Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, and Virginia. His clients have emerged victorious before juries in these jurisdictions in cases related to employment discrimination, retaliation and whistleblowing claims, securities fraud, civil rights violations, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and various other commercial disputes.

Mike has received consistent acclaim as an exceptional trial attorney, earning recognition from esteemed organizations such as Super Lawyers, Leading Lawyers, American’s Top Criminal Defense Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and America’s Top High Stakes Litigators.