Trial Counsel

Trial Counsel for Referring Attorneys

We are building a dedicated trial-counsel practice, and we built it with other lawyers in mind. Some firms do excellent work building a case but do not try cases; some clients need a trial team added for a single matter; some out-of-state firms need Illinois counsel who can take a verdict. We step in as lead trial counsel, second chair, or co-counsel, work within your strategy and your client relationship, and hand the case back when the trial is over. Your client stays your client.

Lead Counsel in the Northern District of Illinois

Krista Krepp is admitted to the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Under the court's Local Rule 83.12, attorneys admitted to the Trial Bar may appear alone in all matters and serve as the lead attorney should a case go to trial. An attorney admitted to the general bar but not the Trial Bar may not appear as the lead attorney at trial, and may appear during testimonial proceedings only when accompanied by a Trial Bar member serving as advisor. Local Rule 83.11 sets the Trial Bar qualifications and defines what counts as a testimonial proceeding. If you are a general-bar member or out-of-district counsel with a case heading to trial, we can serve as the lead trial counsel the rule requires while you remain fully involved in your case.

Local Counsel in Chicago

For out-of-state firms litigating in Cook County Circuit Court or the Northern District of Illinois, we can serve as local counsel: appearances, motion practice, local-rule compliance, and courtroom coverage from attorneys who appear in these courts regularly. And when the case needs more than filings, the same team can step up to the trial itself.

Stepping In Before Trial

Hiring trial counsel is not hiring someone to attend your trial. It is hiring a team to master the record, prepare the witnesses, build the examinations, and try the case. The earlier we join, the more we can do: ideally thirty to sixty days or more before trial. The first step is a candid assessment of the file, what the trial will demand, and whether we are the right fit.

Clients Whose Case Is Set for Trial

If your case is approaching trial and your current lawyer does not try cases, you do not have to start over. We can join as trial counsel while your existing attorney stays on the matter. We try complex commercial and business disputes, HOA and condominium cases for unit owners (including HOA eviction defense), fraud and fiduciary-duty cases, employment matters, and serious injury cases. We prepare every case as if it will be tried, and we try the ones that should be.

Key Services

• Lead trial counsel engagements
• Second chair and co-counsel support
• Trial Bar lead counsel for N.D. Illinois trials
• Local counsel in Cook County and the N.D. Illinois
• Pre-trial case assessment and trial-readiness review
• Witness preparation and examination strategy