Fairfield, Emmet A.

Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

A Brown, Hay & Stephens, LLP lawyer since 1984, Mr. Fairfield concentrates his practice primarily in the representation of banks and other creditors. He advises financial institutions on loan documentation and issues arising under the Uniform Commercial Code and other statutes which affect lenders. He also has an extensive creditors rights practice involving matters in the United States Bankruptcy Court, lien enforcement and commercial collections in Illinois State Courts and distressed loan workouts.

Mr. Fairfield lectures frequently on bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosures and loan work-out topics at continuing legal education programs. Prior to joining Brown, Hay & Stephens, LLP in 1984, he served as a law clerk for Justice James T. Londrigan and Benjamin K. Miller of the Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District.

He is a life-long resident of Central Illinois and currently resides with his wife, Susan, in Chatham, Illinois.

Areas of Practice

• Banking and Finance Law
• Business and Commercial Law
• Collections
• Litigation and Appeals

Representative Clients

• United Community Bank, Chatham, Illinois
• Warren Boynton State Bank, New Berlin, Illinois
• US Bank, N.A., Springfield, Illinois
• Town & Country Bank, Springfield, Illinois

Representative Cases

• First Nat. Bank of Springfield v. Malpractice Research, Inc., 173 Ill.2d 524, 684 N.E.2d 1335 (1997)
• Beard Implement Co., Inc. v. Krusa, 208 Ill. App. 3d 953, 567 N.E.2d 345 (4th Dist. 1991)
• Wilder Binding v. Oak Park Trust and Sav. Bank, 135 Ill.2d 121, 552 N.E.2d 783 (1990)
• Buske Lines, Inc. v. Thermo King Michigan, Inc., 960 F. Supp. 170 (C.D. Ill. 1997)

West Practice Categories

Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy, Business & Commercial, Collections, Debtor-Creditor, Foreclosure & Alternatives, Litigation & Appeals, Real Estate

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 1981
• U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 1981
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Chatham Presbyterian Church, 2000 - 2005 (Elder)
• Dana Thomas House Foundation, 1994 - 1995 (Board Member)
• Springfield YMCA, 1998 - 2004 (President of Board (2000-2002) and Board Member)

Classes and Seminars

• Illinois State Bar Association LawEd Program speaker "Bankruptcy Basics from the Experts-Discharge and Dischargeability", Oct. 2010
• The New Bankruptcy Law - Consumer Section - One Year Later, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2006
• Consumer Bankruptcy, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2005
• Collection Law in Illinois, Lorman Business Service, 1997 - Present
• Illinois Foreclosure Law, N.B.I., 1992 - 1993
• Problem Loans in Illinois, N.B.I., 1988

Past Employment Positions

• Appellate Court of Illinois (Hon. Ben K. Miller), Law Clerk, 1982 - 1984
• Appellate Court of Illinois (Hon. James T. Londrigan), Law Clerk, 1981 - 1982

Education

• University of Illinois College of Law, Urbana, Illinois, 1981
  J.D.
• University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1978
  B.S. (Finance)
  Honors: With Highest Honors

Address

205 S. Fifth Street
Suite 700
Springfield, IL 62701

Phones

(217) 544-8491 (ext. 249)

Faxes

217-544-9609

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.bhslaw.com