Lawyer Overview

Charles Chapman served as Circuit Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit of Madison County from 1979 to 1988. He was elected in 1988 to the Appellate Court for the Fifth Judicial District, Mt. Vernon, Illinois and served until 2001.

He was selected as Outstanding State Trial Judge in the United States by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.  Charles Chapman is the co-author of two books on legal issues. He served as an adjunct professor at St. Louis University Law School from 1982 to 2001 and has presided over judicial seminars on products liability, evidence, professional negligence and judicial management of civil jury trials.

Areas of Practice

• Personal Injury
• Product Liability
• Medical Malpractice
• Class Action

Representative Cases

• Schuchman v. Stackable, 555 N.E.2d 1012 (Ill.App. 5 Dist. 1990)
• Augenstein v. Pulley, 547 N.E.2d 1345 (Ill.App. 5 Dist. 1989)
• People v. Lee, 541 N.E.2d 747 (Ill.App. 5 Dist. 1989)

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 1967
• U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1969
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1979

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Madison County Bar Association (Member)
• Illinois State Bar Association (Member)
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (Member)
• American Association for Justice (Member)

Honors and Awards

• Outstanding State Trial Judge in United States, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1984

Classes and Seminars

• Adjunct Professor or Trial Advocacy, St. Louis University, 1982 - Present
• Trial Advocacy, Saint Louis University Law School, 1982 - Present
• Judicial Seminars, Illinois Supreme Court, 1984 - Present

Past Employment Positions

• State of Illinois, Circuit Judge, 1979 - 1988
• Chapman & Chapman, Private Practice, 1968 - 1979
• Federal District Judge Omer Poos, Law Clerk, 1967 - 1968

Education

• University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1992
  LL.M., Master of Law(s)
• Saint Louis University School of Law, St Louis, Missouri, 1967
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
• Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois, 1963
  B.Ch., Bachelor of Chemistry

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Published Works

• Illinois Objections at Trial (Co-Author), Butterworth Legal Publishers, 1992
• Product Liability Law in Illinois (Co-Author), Chicago Law Bulletin, 1993
• Jaws XVI: Exception that Ate Rule 220, John Marshall Law Review, 1992

Address

300 Evans Avenue
PO Box 229
Wood River, IL 62095-0229

Office Hours

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Phones

(618) 208-4240
(866) 839-2021

Faxes

(618) 254-0193

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.lakinchapman.com
http://www.lakinlaw.com