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William Wolf
The Law Office of William Wolf, LLCBadges
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Summary
William Wolf has been a criminal defense lawyer for 25 years. He has an extensive amount of experience handling all kinds of cases ranging from homicide to sex crimes to narcotics.
Mr. Wolf excels in strategic thinking which has helped him serve thousands of people to win at trial or get the best deal possible. He has vast experience in jury trials, bench trials, and motion hearings to protect his clients from overzealous law enforcement and prosecutors.
He has been published in the State of Illinois and nationally on topics including defending homicide cases, cross-examining expert witnesses, and Confrontation Clause litigation. Mr. Wolf also has lectured nationwide on these and other topics at seminars given for fellow criminal defense lawyers.
Mr. Wolf is active in both the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers where he serves on their Board of Directors and the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers where he is a Past-President. He has worked on a large number of projects in both groups. His most recent project is a "Carpenter blog" which is an ongoing discussion of the effects of the Supreme Court's recent decision of Carpenter v. United States, the recent Fourth Amendment case that discussed searches of cell site location information.
Mr. Wolf has a long track record of success in litigation and plea-negotiations that is due not just to effective strategic thinking, but also a lot of hard work. The bottom line is that a defense case that's not well thought out is not going to succeed. While no lawyer can guarantee success for a client, the Law Office of William Wolf can guarantee a well thought out strategy, coupled with hard work to maximize that client's chances of success.
Practice Areas
- Criminal Law
- DUI & DWI
- Domestic Violence
- Juvenile Law
- White Collar Crime
- Cannabis & Marijuana Law
Fees
- Free Consultation
I give free initial consultations for all prospective clients. Nobody gets billed until a retainer agreement is signed. My Office also has a policy that there is never any billing for time spent discussing and clarifying fees for the client. - Credit Cards Accepted
- Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
My current retainer fee schedule is based on hourly rates of $350.00 per hour for time spent on the case and $125.00 per hour for travel time.
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
- Illinois
- 7th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Professional Experience
- Attorney, Assistant Public Defender
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- -
- I spent over 11 years in the Office's Homicide Task Force defending First Degree Murder cases at the trial level. This included defending death penalty cases until the State of Illinois abolished the death penalty. I also spent years defending a large variety of other kinds of felony cases and supervised lawyers who handled trials, appeals, and post-conviction cases until I left the Office.
Education
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
- J.D. (1993) | Law
- -
- Worked with a 711 Student Law License under the supervision of attorneys at the Cook County Public Defender's Office during plea negotiations and hearings, motion hearings, bench trials, jury trials, and sentencing hearings.
- Activities: Worked at the Law Offices of Chicago-Kent College of Law in the Criminal Defense Clinic under the supervision of Professor Richard Kling. Worked at an externship with the Cook County Public Defender's Office at the Felony Trial Division at 26th and California.
- University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
- B.A. (1990) | Political Science
- -
- Double Minor in History and Philosophy
Awards
- Presidential Commendation
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Presidential Commendation
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Presidential Commendation
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Presidential Service Appreciation Award
- llinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Presidential Commendation
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Presidential Commendation
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Professional Associations
- State Bar of Illinois # 6217067
- Member
- Current
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Member of Board of Directors
- - Current
- Activities: I have also previously served on their Board of Directors from 2002-2007 and from 2010-2016.
- Chicago Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
- Women's Criminal Defense Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Past-President
- -
- Activities: I served as President of the Organization for 2 years after previously having served as First Vice President, Second Vice President, and as a member of their Board of Directors. I previously served as Chair of their CLE committee where I started IACDL's popular Annual Defending Violent Crimes Seminar held every year in November in Chicago. In 2017, I co-authored an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court for IACDL in United States v. Rod Blagojevich.
Publications
Articles & Publications
- A Tale of Two Counties and Two Very Different Outcomes
- The Champion Magazine
- Response to the Threat of His Client’s Loss of Counsel (Gideon’s Champions).
- The Champion Magazine
- Minor Crimes, Massive Waste: The Terrible Toll of America’s Broken Misdemeanor Courts
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Defining ‘Testimonial’ and other trends in the wake of Crawford and Confrontation in Illinois
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- The 48 Hour Rule: What’s Left to Argue When Suspects Are Held Indefinitely?
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, Part 2
- The Champion Magazine
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, Part 1
- The Champion Magazine
- v. Washington: Confronting the 6th Amendment roots out the evils of hearsay
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Speaking Engagements
- Building a Defense Case, CCPD's Three Days in a Nutshell, Oakbrook, IL
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Preparing to Cross-Examine the Homicide Detective, NACDL's Annual Meeting and Seminar, San Francisco, CA
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, BCPD In-House Training, St. Joseph, MI
- Berrien County Public Defender's Office
- Preparation for Winning Videotaped Confession Cases, BCPD In-House Training, St. Joseph, MI
- Berrien County Public Defender's Office
- Ethics, the A.B.A. Guidelines and You, UACDL Death Penalty Conference, Salt Lake City, UT
- Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Taking the Record off of Life Support, UACDL Death Penalty Conference, Salt Lake City, UT
- Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, NACDL/GPDC Southwestern Regional Public Defense Training, Macon, GA
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers/Georgia Public Defense Council
- Preparation for Winning Videotaped Confession Cases, CCPD “Three Days in a Nutshell”, Oakbrook, IL
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, Gideon’s Promise Summer Institute, Oxford, MS
- Gideon's Promise
- Presented twice on July 29 and July 30.
- Building a Defense Case, KCPD In-House Office Training, St. Charles, IL
- Gideon's Promise
- Preparing to Win Murder Cases, CCPD Legal Resources Division In-House Office Training, Chicago, IL
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, IACDL Midwinter Seminar and Meeting, East St. Louis, IL
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Working With Experts, CCPD Civil Division In-House Training, Chicago, IL
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- Preparation for Cross-Examination of the Forensic Pathologist: Shaping the Storyline for Acquittals, WSPD 2015 Annual Criminal Defense Conference, Milwaukee, WI
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- Law and Science behind DNA Exoneration Part I, CCPD Legal Resources Division In-House Office Training, Chicago, IL
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- I served as a panelist during this presentation.
- Preparation for Winning Videotaped Confession Cases, CCPD “Three Days in a Nutshell”, Oakbrook, IL
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- How to Challenge Videotaped Statements of Your Client, UACDL Criminal Defense Conference, St. George, UT
- Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, NACDL Midwinter Meeting and Seminar, New Orleans, LA
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- How to Respond Professionally to Prosecutorial and Judicial Misconduct, IACDL Semi-Annual Meeting and Seminar, Rock Island, IL
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Building a Defense Case, CCPD Civil Division In-House Training, Chicago, IL
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- How to Challenge Videotaped Statements of Your Client, AACDL's 2013 All-Stars Conference, Girdwood, AK
- Alaska Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, AACDL's 2013 All-Stars Conference, Girdwood, AK
- Alaska Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Emotionally Charged! How to React Professionally to Misconduct Committed by Judges, Prosecutors, and Investigators in Sensitive Cases, IACDL Midwinter Seminar and Meeting, Springfield, IL
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- I served as a panelist during this presentation.
- Funding an Expert for Indigent Defense, NACDL Midwinter Meeting and Seminar, Washington, DC
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- I served as a panelist during this lunchtime presentation.
- Taking the Record off of Life Support, NACDL's Making the Case for Life Seminar, Atlanta, GA
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Prosecutorial Misconduct: Eliminating it and Answering it, CCPD's Three Days in a Nutshell, Oakbrook, IL
- Cook County Public Defender's Office
- I served as a co-presenter.
- Closing Argument Presentation on False Confessions, OSAD Seminar on Confession Cases, Springfield, IL
- Office of the State Appellate Defender
- Law and Strategy of the Statement Case: Miranda-Voluntariness-Completeness-Foundation, OSAD Seminar on Confession Cases, Springfield, IL
- Office of the State Appellate Defender
- I served as a panelist for this presentation.
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, KCPD In-House Office Training, St. Charles, IL
- Kane County Public Defender's Office
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, Death Penalty Certification Seminar, Perrysburg, OH
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, MCPD In-House Office Training, Bloomington, IL
- McLean County Public Defender's Office
- Prosecutorial Misconduct: Eliminating it and Answering it, OSAD Seminar on Confession Cases, Chicago, IL
- Office of the State Appellate Defender
- Miranda v. Arizona-Defending the Statement Case, OSAD Seminar on Confession Cases, Chicago, IL
- Office of the State Appellate Defender
- I was a panelist for this presentation.
- Ethics, the A.B.A. Guidelines and You, ACDLA Death Penalty Seminar, Birmingham, AL
- Alabama Criminal Defense Lawyers' Association
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, DCPD In-House Office Training, Wheaton, IL
- DuPage County Public Defender's Office
- Taking the Record off of Life Support, NACDL's Making the Case for Life Seminar, Charleston, SC
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, IPDA Fall Seminar, Springfield, IL
- Illinois Public Defender Association
- Preserving Relationships Between Trial, Appellate, and Post-Conviction Counsel, NACDL Death Penalty Seminar, Birmingham, AL
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- I was a panelist for this presentation.
- Preserving Issues for Appeal through Motion Practice, NACDL Death Penalty Seminar, Birmingham, AL
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Murder’s Mayhem on the Fourth Amendment, Lorman Education Group Seminar, Chicago, IL
- Lorman Education Group
- The Use of Davis v. Washington in the Defense of Domestic Violence Cases, IACDL Fall Seminar, Champaign, IL
- Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Developing Forensic Theories in Criminal Cases, NDIA Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
- National Defender Investigation Association
- Ethical Issues for the Criminal Defense Specialist, NDIA Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
- National Defender Investigation Association
- I was a panelist for this presentation.
- Preparing to Cross-Examine an Expert Witness, MSPD Annual Training Conference, Branson, MO
- Missouri State Public Defender's Office
Websites & Blogs
- Website
- Website for the Law Office of William Wolf, LLC.
- Blog
- The Wolf Carpenter Blog
- Blog
- Forensic Science in Criminal Defense
Legal Answers
76 Questions Answered
- Q. did i ask for a work to be done or did i just ask a question
- A: I know you may not realize it, but you're asking for free work to be done. Asking a lawyer what he or she thinks is asking the lawyer to provide work. Most of our work, before one of us may open our mouths in a courtroom, or in writing on an appeal..... is thinking through the problem at hand. Respectfully sir, it is my belief that the purpose of this service is not to get a lawyer to do free work, but to identify a lawyer you like so you can hire the lawyer based on the problem that you have, whether it's Juan, or Gary, or someone else. Respectfully, your question and your facts are not entirely clear, and any lawyer will tell you that a single fact can change the outcome of a particular legal problem. I hope you can understand that any lawyer would be reluctant to answer the question if it's unclear what the question is. Here's what I think your question might be: Assuming Officer Gary approaches me, believes I broke a law..... like Criminal trespass to Juan's residence...... and let's say in the search incident to that arrest, Officer Gary finds one gram of cocaine in my front right jeans pocket. Officer Gary places me under arrest. The State then charges me only with the felony of possession. I am not charged with the trespass to Juan's property. Is that legal? Yes. Must I be charged with the misdemeanor trespass which was the basis for the search to find the felony amount of drugs? No. It sounds to me (although I may be wrong) that you have a lawyer with your local Public Defender's Office whereever this arrest occurred. I would consult with that person. Make an in person office appointment. I am sure that, if you had the funds to hire a lawyer, that lawyer would want you in his or her office to get certain questions answered. Don't treat the lawyer you have any differently just because you're not paying him or her. I wish you the best of luck in your case.
- Q. If a person has already been sentence writes an affidavit for his co-defendant can he still be grant a Appel ?
- A: Talk to your lawyer who represented you. That lawyer knows all of the facts and circumstances of your case.
- Q. How should I proceed?
- A: So this isn't exactly a criminal law question. It is but it also isn't. First of all, my heart goes out to you. I am sorry this happened to you. I would get a lawyer right away. One possible reason that the bus company won't turn over any video is because they are afraid you will sue them under a theory that a lack of security led to the assault you suffered. So it legally benefits them to say "What assault?" If you can't prove an assault, then you can't prove they were negligent in letting it happen. There needs to be either a court case in action or a Grand Jury investigation for a subpoena to be issued. A subpoena is a court order to produce someone or some thing. A Grand Jury is a body that conducts felony criminal investigations, working with local prosecutors. They issue subpoenas all the time for all kinds of documents that are relevant to a criminal investigation. This also includes video evidence as well. So a prosecutor in your jurisdiction can meet with a Grand Jury and ask that a subpoena be issued for the video in the course of investigating prosecuting your attacker. Or, you can start your own court case. Meet with a civil lawyer who can start an action on your behalf right away which would then give that lawyer the ability to subpoena the video for you. If there's no court case.... no subpoena. Hope this helps.
- Q. Can you change venues weeks before trail about to start from state to state?
- A: I am assuming by your quesiton that this is a South Dakota State charge. Not a federal charge. The answer is no. The State of Illinois has absolutely no jurisdiction over anything that supposedly happened in South Dakota.
- Q. My ex was charged with endangering the life or health of a child andHe was caught with his fingers inside of the child
- A: Yes. He will be very lucky if he doesn't get charged with a sex offense. But it can still happen. He needs a lawyer immediately. He also needs to talk to no one about the case but his lawyer he hires. Absolutely no one.
- Q. Can you get more time if you fail to report for a federal prison sentence! Have a uncle that i want info for
- A: Yes. You can get more time for failure to report to a federal facility by the court ordered surrender date. The person in question had a lawyer before representing him. He needs to call his lawyer right away.
- Q. I was charged with arm criminal action an a B felony and 2 were released and the other one they want to charge with
- A: What you need to do is get a lawyer and stop talking about your case, including posts. Sometimes law enforcement can figure out who people are, and what you post can be used against you. If the prosecutor can prove you helped the person commit the crime, you're guilty under the law. If I tell you that I want to go rob a 7-11 and ask you if you'd give me a ride and drop me off, and you give me that ride, you're guilty under the law of the armed robbery I committed, just like me. The only person you should be talking to about this case is your lawyer. This case can carry a lot of prison time.
- Q. My wife hit my cusion but I took the blame and she feels bad and wants to take since she done it
- A: So you're charged with a crime of hitting your cousin? And your cousin is claiming it's you even though it was your wife? You need to be talking to your lawyer about this. If you don't have one, then hire one right away who can help you. Mr. Ooink is absolutely correct. Your wife needs a separate lawyer.
- Q. Can I call the judge who is reviewing a case and have them remove my letter of character?
- A: No. You may not contact the judge. It is extremely inappropriate. If you're the one accused and you are asking to have someone's letter on your behalf not be considered by the judge, you're going to have to talk to your attorney about it. If you're representing yourself, stop what you're doing and get a lawyer. If you're a potential sentencing witness, and you've written something for a defendant that you now have second thoughts about, the people to speak to are the defendant's attorney and the prosecutor.
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