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Stewart is a widely-acclaimed leader in Illinois municipal law. The International Municipal Lawyers' Association (IMLA) awarded him the Marvin J. Glink Private Practice Local Government award. Throughout his entire career, Stewart has represented many local governmental bodies as their corporate attorney. He has provided services as special counsel to municipalities throughout the State of Illinois. He has served as the Chairman of the Local Governmental Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association, and has taught law at John Marshall Law School and Northwestern University Law School. He has represented both home rule and non-home rule municipalities and he has been asked to speak in municipalities considering home rule referenda.

He has and continues to advise scores of municipalities, counties, park districts, townships, fire protection districts, library districts and many intergovernmental agencies.   

Stewart is the originating author of the Illinois Municipal Handbook and the orginating editor of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s multi-volume handbooks on municipal and school law.

Experience

Particular highlights of his practice include:

• Represents municipalities in all aspects of growth from 4,000 to 100,000 and advised numerous communities on their transition to home rule. 
• Represents a number of water agencies during their multi-million dollar construction phrase and during mature operations.

• Wrote the contract and by-laws for the first governmental self-insurance pool in the State of Illinois and successfully established the validity of governmental pooling in the Illinois Supreme Court case of Antiporek v. Hillside.
• Successfully argued the case of Rudd v. Sarallo at the Illinois Appellate Court, which established the concept of the division between branches of Illinois municipal government.
• Long-time service as the corporate and litigation review attorney for a large number of Illinois governmental self-insurance pools.
• Represented clients before many Illinois Appellate Courts, Illinois Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court.

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Presentations

Publications

• Long-time author, co-author or editor of the Illinois Municipal Handbook, published by the Illinois Municipal League, contributing author and editor of the Township Officials of Illinois Laws and Duties Handbook published by the Township Officials of Illinois, and the Author and Editor Financial Manual for Illinois Public Libraries, published by the Illinois Library Association
• Originating General Editor of the four-volume Illinois Municipal Law Series and two-volume Illinois School Law Series, published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education
• Co-author, Annexation and Annexation Agreements, Illinois Municipal Law (IICLE)

• Co-Author, Procedures and Practices, Illinois Municipal Law (IICLE)
• Co-Author, “Municipal Labor Law,” Illinois Municipal Law (IICLE)
• Co-Author, “Illinois Tort Immunity,” Illinois Municipal Law (IICLE)
• Co-Author, “Employee Rights and Responsibilities,” Illinois School Law Series (IICLE)
• Co-Author, “Labor Relations: Negotiating A Contract,” Illinois School Law Series (IICLE)
• Co-Author, Zoning Tools of the Trade, Ancel Glink Library
• Co-Author, Zoning Administration Handbook, Ancel Glink Library
• Co-Author, Illinois Governmental Tort Immunity Handbook, Ancel Glink Library
• Co-Author, Lien on Me, Ancel Glink Library
• Co-Author, Municipal Annexation Handbook, Ancel Glink Library
• Co-Author, Economic Development Toolbox for Municipal Officials, Ancel Glink Library
• Co-Author, Labor Law Handbook for Smaller Governments, Ancel Glink Library
• Co-Author, Municipal Questions and Answers, Ancel Glink Library
• Editor, Guide for Newly-Elected Officials, Ancel Glink Library
• Editor, Ten Things You Need to Know About Fourteen Local Governmental Issues, Ancel Glink Library

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Honors & Awards