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Britt has tried scores of cases before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. He has also tried several jury trials to verdict and argued cases before the Illinois Appellate Courts and all Northern Illinois Circuit Courts.
Britt has tried scores of cases before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. He has also tried several jury trials to verdict and argued cases before the Illinois Appellate Courts and all Northern Illinois Circuit Courts.
He represents municipalities in police and fire pension board hearings and has appeared before bankruptcy courts on behalf of municipal creditors. Britt represents numerous Illinois public library and library districts, both in corporate and litigation settings.
Britt is a former elected library trustee for the Village of Lake Bluff. He is a past Chairman of the Chicago Bar Association’s Local Government Committee and has written extensively on Illinois municipal law. He co-authored the first handbook of its kind, the Financial Manual for Illinois Public Libraries, published by the Illinois Library Association. Britt has lectured before the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Library Association, the International Association of School Business Officials, at seminars sponsored by the National Business Institute, and has participated in seminars before a number of municipal, library and school organizations.
Presentations
- “Controlling Township Workers’ Compensation Costs”, Township Officials of Illinois Educational Conference (Fall, 2017)
- “How Your School District’s Policies Can Provide a Strong Workers’ Compensation Defense”, Risk Control Seminar Series, School Employee Loss Fund (Fall, 2017)
- “Best Practices for Modified Duty Policies Under the ADA, FMLA, and Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act”, Risk Control Seminar Series, School Employee Loss Fund (Summer, 2017)
Publications
- Steven C. Englum v. City of Charleston, 80 N.E.3d 61, 414 Ill.Dec.328 (4th Dist., 2017)
As a matter of first impression, City had statutory authority as a non-home rule unit to enact ordinances establishing administrative procedures to determine a police officer’s eligibility for benefits under the Public Safety Employee Benefit Act. The Act did not preempt the City’s authority to enact the ordinance. Judgment granting declaratory relief to police officer reversed. - Johnston v. Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, 80 N.E.3d 573, 414 Ill.Dec.430 (2nd Dist., 2017) East Dundee Fire Protection District successfully presented evidence to rebut statutory presumption in the Workers’ Compensation Act that coronary artery disease and cardiac infarction suffered by firefighter arose out of and in the course of the employment. Benefits denied to firefighter who suffered near-fatal heart attack at station while allegedly engaged in snow removal. Fire Protection District’s expert cardiologist noted that Johnston had multiple risk factors for developing coronary artery disease including 20-year history of smoking 1 to 1 ½ packs of cigarettes per day, a family history of heart disease, and obesity. Claimant’s history of smoking a pack per day for 20 years leading up to the heart attack was probably the major cause of advanced atherosclerosis.
- “Fishing for Wealth in Dwindling Streams: How Libraries Lead Great Referenda Campaigns”, Ancel Glink Local Government Newsletter (Fall, 2009)
