Law Offices, Robert E. Lehrer
Robert E. Lehrer is an attorney with more than 40 years of experience in the practice areas in which his firm specializes, including extensive trial and appellate court experience in complex class action cases. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell (the highest rating from the leading attorney rating service). Click here for more information on the background of the firm, Mr. Lehrer’s experience, and his record of accomplishment. Click here for more information on the firm’s practice areas.
PRACTICE AREAS
Civil Rights, Including Constitutional Rights
Representing individuals with claims arising out of their employment, or involving their receipt of public benefits, such as foster care or Medicaid benefits, or involving the government’s deprivation, without due process, of protected property or liberty interests, or arising out of discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability. Mr. Lehrer has had particular success in the representation of employees whom Illinois state agencies (such as the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, and the Illinois Department of Human Services) determine have committed wrongdoing, which determinations, unless overturned on appeal, effect long term exclusions from employment in any positions involving direct contact with children, with the elderly, with the developmentally disabled, or the mentally ill.
Class actions
Mediation Services
Mediation is a process by which the parties to a dispute, which may or may not have resulted in a court case, agree to use a third party neutral (called a "mediator") to facilitate the agreed resolution of their dispute. Mediation is a process for resolving disputes out of court. Mr. Lehrer is a certified mediation attorney with substantial experience as a mediator and as counsel for one or more of the parties to a mediation. His experience recommends him as a mediator in any type of controversy, but he does not mediate family law disputes (e.g., divorce, child custody) and his experience especially recommends him as mediator in personal injury cases and in civil rights cases, as described above.
Mr. Lehrer undertakes mediations throughout Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Indiana.
FEES
The firm works on an hourly rate basis for services in all cases, except for class actions, which it may undertake on a contingent fee basis, and in certain cases being mediated, described below, which Mr. Lehrer will undertake without payment of any fee.
The hourly rates the firm employs are reasonable, lower, in general, than the hourly rates of lawyers whose qualifications, including experience, are comparable to Mr. Lehrer's. For the usual case in which mediation services are being provided, in particular, Mr. Lehrer’s hourly rate of $150 (ordinarily split evenly between the parties) is especially reasonable, less than half the market rate for mediation attorneys of his qualifications. In addition, Mr. Lehrer will provide mediation services without payment of any fee in some cases, selected by him, meeting the following criteria: both sides to the dispute are represented attorneys, who agree to participate throughout the mediation proceedings, including the mediation proper itself; the dispute does not arise out of or presage a class action lawsuit, and is not, for other reasons than its class action status, so complex that the mediation services are reasonably expected to be extremely extensive. When mediation services are provided without payment of any hourly fee, the parties are responsible for any out of pocket expenses (e.g., travel, lodging) Mr. Lehrer reasonably incurs.
The firm’s policy is to enter into a clearly written fee agreement in every case in which the firm is representing clients in litigation. Such agreements ensure against any misunderstandings about fees. The firm periodically provides, to each such client, itemized time sheets of its work on the client’s case, describing, by date, the work done and stating the amount of time spent. The firm also provides to each client a periodic accounting of any out of pocket costs (e.g., court filing costs) the firm incurs but for which the client is responsible. The firm also utilizes a written fee agreement in connection with its provision of its mediation services, but one taking account, among other factors, that the parties participating in the mediation in question are not the firm’s clients.