Village of Skokie finds new law firm

The Skokie Village Board voted unanimously this week on new legal representation.

The trustees appointed Steven M. Elrod and his law firm, Elrod Friedman, to begin performing the duties of the village’s corporation counsel on Jan. 1. Elrod Friedman will take over for the village’s interim corporation counsel, Barbara Mangler. 

Seven firms and 37 different individuals applied to become Skokie’s new corporation counsel after Michael M. Lorge, who held the position for 13 years, retired in May. 

Village Manager John Lockerby issued a request for qualifications in June and appointed a committee of village staff, a retired judge and four local attorneys to evaluate the applicants on criteria like their depth of legal expertise, knowledge of government operations, process and ethical integrity, said Patrick Deignan, Skokie’s director of communications, in an email. 

After members of the committee ultimately interviewed five firms and two individuals, Lockerby wrote in a memo that he believed the village would be best served by the Elrod Friedman team. The attorneys will work alongside Skokie’s in-house Office of the Corporation Counsel staff.

“Thank you for putting your trust, your confidence with our firm,” Stew Weiss, a partner with Elrod Friedman, told the Village Board on Dec. 15.

“Municipal law is our passion; it’s what we dedicate our days to. We have 17 attorneys who do just this, and we’re very very excited to be working with the village, working with your in-house team.”

Skokie’s corporation counsel acts as a legal advisor to the mayor, trustees, village commissions and staff. Among other duties, the firm represents the village in any relevant legal action and helps draw ordinances, contracts, leases, deeds and other documents, Skokie Village Code shows. 

Elrod’s 19-staff member firm focuses on areas like municipal law, public-private partnerships, tax incentives, development agreements and affordable housing, village documents show.

Elrod already serves as corporation counsel for other nearby municipalities like Highland Park, Deerfield, Glencoe, Lincolnwood and Northbrook; though Trustee Gail Schechter noted on Monday a conflict-of-interests check confirmed those associations should not cause any issues for Skokie. 

“Elrod Friedman LLP is a leading municipal law firm, bringing extensive legal experience and an impressive team of attorneys specializing in a wide range of issues that impact the Village of Skokie,” Mayor Ann Tennes in an emailed statement.

“Steven Elrod and his firm provide expert legal counsel to numerous Chicago-area municipalities and maintain an outstanding professional reputation,” Tennes said.

Trustee Alison Pure Slovin said she heard from residents concerned that the recent increase to Skokie’s property tax would fund services from the new law firm; however, Tennes said the village’s corporation counsel needs came in under-budget for fiscal year 2025.

Skokie’s legal needs are projected to remain flat in fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027, despite the new firm stepping in, Tennes said. Despite that, Tennes said variables may change if the village grapples with any unforeseen legal needs, such as a lawsuit.

Lockerby noted that Elrod’s deep bench of specialist attorneys will prevent the village from needing to hire outside counsel for specific issues. 

Tennes thanked Mangler for serving as Skokie’s interim Corporation Counsel. Mangler held the position of assistant corporation counsel for more than 25 years before she stepped in. 

“Our firm does not respond to every request for qualifications we receive. We specifically seek out and thrive on representing local governments that, like Skokie, demonstrate leadership and innovation in governing,” Elrod, the firm’s managing partner, wrote to the village. 

“Simply put, our interest in representing Skokie is not just to add another municipality to our client base — it is to support the Village as it serves its residents and provide Skokie’s staff and elected officials with the necessary, sophisticated counsel to advance the Village’s policies.”

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