Hugh S. Balsam has been a member of the Firm’s appellate section since 1995. He drafts and edits briefs and argues appeals in all areas of the law, including commercial litigation, intellectual property law, insurance liability, bankruptcy law, employment law, constitutional law, foreclosure law, product liability, medical litigation, and state and federal procedural law.
His practice is nationwide, in both state and federal courts. He has handled matters in the United States Supreme Court, and has extensive experience in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and for the Seventh Circuit. He has argued or briefed appeals in most of the other Circuit courts as well, and has briefed or argued cases in numerous state appellate courts.
Hugh firmly believes that legal briefs should not sound like they were written by stuffy lawyers, and he has developed a special ability to simplify technical subject matter so that it can be readily understood by judges who lack technical expertise.
He authored a well-received article in Verdict, the journal of the Trial Section of the American Bar Association, entitled How to Make Technical Briefs Understandable for Generalist Judges. Following up on that publication, he has given frequent presentations at legal seminars, bar association meetings, and law schools across the country on the topic of simplifying complex and technical subject matter.
Hugh wrote chapters on rescission, reformation, and specific performance in the 2017 Handbook of Illinois Causes of Action: Causes of Action (Illinois): Estate, Business & Non-Personal Injury Actionsand is co-author of a chapter on rescission and reformation in the 2017 Practice Handbook on Chancery and Special Remedies, both published by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He also co-authored an article, “The Standard of Review in Civil Cases in Illinois: More Than Meets the Eye,” that was published in 2003 in the Appellate Law Review.
Hugh has served on the board of directors of the Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois. He has also lectured on legal writing at The John Marshall Law School. For many years he served on the Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee.
Professional Affiliations :
- Member, Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association
- Member, Chicago Bar Association, Judicial Evaluation Committee
- Member, Lesbian & Gay Bar Association of Chicago
Education :
- J.D., summa cum laude, John Marshall Law School, 1995
- M.M., Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1987
- B.A., Lawrence University, 1981
Admissions :
- Illinois, 1995
- U.S. Supreme Court
Admitted To Practice :
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Cost
Rate : $$$