Chicago Civil Rights Attorney
Basileios "Bill" J. Foutris
Basileios ("Bill") J. Foutris has been remarkably successful in achieving justice for his clients. Bill has obtained millions of dollars in compensation for victims of police misconduct, has won numerous civil rights trials in both federal and state court, and has negotiated numerous significant settlements for victims of police abuse. He has also won lawsuits that other lawyers were afraid to take, including proving cases in court when it's his client's word against the cops' word with no other witnesses.
As a native Chicagoan, Bill knows that police officers do things that they are not supposed to do. He is aware that there are both bad police officers, and good police officers that do bad things. Bill can relate to people who have had their civil rights violated because Chicago police officers violated his rights. As a teen, during a baseless traffic stop, Chicago police officers pointed guns at Bill's head for no reason. His firsthand experiences motivate him every day, and push him to achieve the same result for all his clients: justice.
For 15 of his 17 years as an attorney, Bill has focused his practice exclusively on civil rights lawsuits and, in particular, on police misconduct lawsuits. Having spent a decade and a half prosecuting and defending police misconduct lawsuits, Bill knows where to look for evidence of police wrongdoing. Bill understands that police misconduct lawsuits are different from other injury cases, and his experience allows him to find evidence of police misbehavior that inexperienced lawyers often miss.
Since founding Foutris Law Office, Ltd., Bill's practice has been devoted to representing victims of police misconduct. As a civil rights lawyer, he has been involved in hundreds of cases involving wrongful death, police shootings, police brutality, illegal searches, false arrest, coerced confessions, malicious prosecution and other police misconduct. In addition, as an attorney representing victims of police misconduct, Bill has provided instruction as a speaker to other attorneys in legal education seminars, including presentations in effective cross-examination and in how to prosecute a civil rights lawsuit.
Bill's commitment to his clients has not gone unnoticed. Most of his former clients keep in touch to let him know how they are doing. Similarly, many lawyers that have defended lawsuits against Bill have referred cases to him – which speaks to their belief in his abilities.
Bill's knowledge of civil rights law has also been recognized in court. For instance, in a written opinion, a federal judge in Chicago described Bill as "well informed" and "knowledgeable".
Bill has represented victims of abuse by police officers from Chicago, the surrounding suburbs and other police departments including abuse by police officers from Aurora, Blue Island, Burnham, Calumet City, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago Heights, Chicago Ridge, Cicero, Cook County Forest Preserve, Cook County Sheriff, Countryside, Dolton, Elgin, Evanston, Freeport, Gary (Indiana), Glenview, Hammond (Indiana), Harvey, Homewood, Illinois State Police, Joliet, Justice, Kankakee, Lansing, Loves Park, Markham, Maywood, Metra Police, Melrose Park, Milwaukee (Wisconsin), Morton Grove, North Chicago, Olympia Fields, Palatine, Palos Hills, Park Forest, Riverdale, River Grove, Robbins, Rockford, South Holland, Streamwood, Waukegan, Will County Sheriff, Winnebago County Sheriff and Zion.
Bill is admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois, in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois as a member of the Trial Bar, in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. Bill earned his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1997 and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2000.