Patrick M. Ward

Overview

Patrick Ward is a seasoned trial lawyer with a sophisticated and varied legal practice. Prior to joining the Firm, he was a member of one of Chicago’s leading civil litigation law firms. Patrick has defended numerous municipalities, including the City of Chicago and the City of Amherst, Ohio. Since 2019, Patrick has served as the Assistant Law Director for the City of Amherst. He is also the Prosecutor for the City of Amherst.

Licensed to practice law in both Ohio and Illinois, Patrick has substantial experience managing litigation matters involving  commercial/business, employment, municipalities, probate issues, professional liability, construction, civil rights, insurance coverage, product liability, asbestos contamination, motor vehicle/trucking, and premises liability cases.

Patrick’s litigation practice also involves prosecuting class action cases and counseling public sector clients regarding various legal issues, including those pertaining to water and sewer service, public housing, eminent domain, contract disputes, and employment practices.

Patrick has managed hundreds of evictions for a housing authority, many defended by counsel and involving reasonable accommodation requests that required careful attention to regulatory requirements.

Patrick advises business clients regarding entity formation and organizational structure, financing, corporate governance and planning, changes in ownership, contract drafting and negotiation, and employment-related issues.

Credentials:
J.D., The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, 2004
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Notre Dame, 2001

Admissions

• Supreme Court of Ohio
• Supreme Court of Illinois
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Accomplishments

Patrick’s experience includes the following representative matters:

• Defended the City of Chicago and its police officers against claims alleging use of excessive force, false arrest, unlawful searches, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, and other civil rights violations.
• Successfully represented a non-profit entity in a declaratory judgment action relating to the validity of certain amendments to a trust agreement and the identities of the trust beneficiaries where a settlement was reached, entitling the client to collect twenty-five percent of a trust valued in excess of $1,000,000;
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of a property manager in a personal injury action arising out of a roof collapse (See Osbourne v. Bone Roofing Supply, Inc., No. 1-14-2533, 2016 WL 4991342 (Ill. Ct. App. Sept. 16, 2016);
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of the City of Blue Island, Illinois and one of its police officers in a civil rights action arising out of the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of an individual for attempted armed robbery (See Manning v. City of Blue Island, No. 13-C-2214, 2015 WL 1538864 (N.D. Ill. March 31, 2015);
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of a tactical operations sharp shooting specialist in a wrongful death action arising out of a barricaded gunman stand-off incident in which the gunman opened fire upon an armored BearCat SWAT vehicle occupied by multiple law enforcement officers;
• Collected a judgment in excess of $1,000,000 on behalf of a corporate client in a breach of contract action where the defendant was located on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, held no assets in the United States, and refused to pay the judgment.