Current Employment Position(s)

Sole Practitioner

Lawyer Overview

General Overview

Richard C. Balough focuses his practice in the areas of the Internet, trademarks and copyrights, trade secrets and privacy and libel. In addition to his private practice, Mr. Balough is the associate director of the Center for Information Technology and Privacy Law at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.  The Center offers legal research and policy analysis in information technology and privacy law.   He also is an adjunct professor at the John Marshall Law School where he teaches a course in representing start-up and high technology companies.

Mr. Balough carefully listens to his clients and provides innovative solutions in a professional, personal and cost-effective manner.

With more than 20 years of experience in counseling, negotiating and litigating complex technical and financial matters, his sophisticated client base includes:

• Software development companies
• Internet service providers
• Web design firms
• Marketing and advertising firms
• Start-up companies

He recently served on the board of managers for the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC).  He served as chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Computer Law Committee and the IPLAC's Internet Law Committee. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Computer and Information Law, the Illinois Bar Journal, the Chicago Law Bulletin, the Illinois legal Times and Marketing News. He has masters of law degrees cum laude  both in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law.

Law Office of Richard C. Balough, Chicago, Illinois, 1998-Present

Solo practitioner specializing in representing large entities in

intellectual property matters including copyright, Internet, licensing, year 2000 and complex technical and financial matters.

Citizens Utility Board, Chicago, Illinois, 1996-1998

One of three in-house counsels for the statewide consumer

advocacy organization, representing CUB before the Illinois

Commerce Commission (ICC) and appellate courts.

Law Office of Richard C. Balough, Austin, Texas, 1988-1996

Solo practitioner specializing in representing large entities in their

complex technical and financial matters.

Winstead, McGuire, Sechrest & Minick, Austin, Texas, 1987-1988

Administrative and litigation counsel in the Austin office of this

Dallas-based law firm.

Heron, Burchette, Ruckert & Rothwell, Austin, Texas, 1983-1987

Founding Austin managing partner for this Washington, D.C.-based

law firm. Responsible for operating the office and acting as liaison

with the Washington, D.C. office as well as maintaining and expanding

the firm's client base.

Assistant City Attorney, Austin, Texas, 1977-1983

Primary responsibility for all legal matters for the city-owned

electric utility that generated revenues of over $400 million

annually. Represented the utility in negotiations and litigated

matters for the utility in state and federal courts.

Assistant State's Attorney, Joliet, Illinois, 1976-1977

Prepared and tried jury and non-jury criminal cases and grand jury

presentations. I also prepared a murder case appeal.

Budget Rent A Car Corporation v. Harvey Kidd Automotive, 249 F.Supp.2d 1048 (N.D.Ill. E.D. 2003).  Enforcement of a non-compete agreement.

State of Texas v. Houston Lighting & Power Co., 609 S.W. 2d

263 (Tex. Civ. App.-Corpus Christi 1980, writ ref'd n.r.e.).

Property tax case of first impression. Represented City of

Austin, saving the city millions of dollars annually.

Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Public Utility Commission,

809 S.W. 2d 332 (Tex. App.-Austin, 1991, no writ). Appeal of Public

Utility Commission rate case.

Areas of Practice

• Intellectual Property Law

Representative Clients

• WebSolutions Technology, Inc.
• Distant Horizon
• IT Map, Inc.

Representative Cases

• People v. Elwell, 362 N.E.2d 830 (Ill.App. 3 Dist. 1977)
• State v. Houston Lighting & Power Co., 609 S.W.2d 263 (TexCiv.App. 1980)
• City of Austin v. Schonfeld., 622 S.W.2d 896 (Tex.App. 1981)
• City of Austin v. North Austin State Bank, 631 S.W.2d 564 (Tex.App. 1982)
• Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Public Utility Commission, 809 S.W. 2d 332 (Tex. App. 1991)
• Budget Rent A Car Corporation v. Harvey Kidd Automotive, 249 F.Supp.2d 1048 (Northern District Illinois 2003)

West Practice Categories

Intellectual Property Law

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 1976
• Texas, 1978
• Florida, 1977
• U.S. Federal Court, 1976
• U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1978
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1976
• U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 1978
• U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois, 1999

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Downtown Austin Partners, 1987 - 1992 (Past Chairman)
• Keep Austin Beautiful, 1990 - 1996 (Past President)
• Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, January 6, 2002 - Present (Technology Growth Committee)
• Holy Name Cathedral, 2001 - Present (Parish Pastoral Council)
• Chicago Bar Association, 1999 - 2000 (Past Chair, Computer Law Committee)
• Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, 1999 - 2002 (Past Chairman, Internet Law Committee)
• Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, 2002 - Present (Member Board of Managers)

Classes and Seminars

• Speaker, Various Seminars in Illinois and Texas, Legal Issues

Past Employment Positions

• Citizens Utility Board, Chicago, Illinois, In-House Counsel, 1996 - 1998
• Law Office of Richard C. Balough, Austin, Texas, Solo Practitioner, 1988 - 1996
• Winstead, McGuire, Sechrest & Minick, Austin, Texas, Administrative and Litigation Counsel, 1987 - 1988
• Heron, Burchette, Ruckert & Rothwell, Austin, Texas, Founding Austin Managing Partner, 1983 - 1987
• City of Austin, Texas, Assistant City Attorney, 1977 - 1983
• State of Illinois, Joliet, Illinois, Assistant State's Attorney, 1976 - 1977

Education

• John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, June, 2004
  L.L.M.
  Honors: cum laude
  Major: Information Technology and Privacy
• John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, 1998
  L.L.M.
  Honors: cum laude
  Honors: With Honors
  Major: Intellectual Property
• John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, 1976
  J.D.
• Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 1969
  B.A.
  Major: Journalism
  Major: Government

Published Works

• "The 2000 Presidential Election Shattered the Myth that Every Vote is Counted", The John Marshall Journal of Computer Information Law, Vol. 23 No.3, Spring, 2005
• "The Do-Not-Call Registry Model is Not the Answer to Spam", The John Marshall Journal of Computer Information Law, Vol. 22 No.1, Fall, 2003
• 11 Texas Jurisprudence Pleadings and practice Forms 2d, Public Utilities (Contributing Author), 1993
• Drafting Contract Provisions for E-Commerce Sites, Illinois Bar Journal, January, 2000
• Web Sites Shouldn't Advertise Trouble, Marketing News, August 16, 1999
• Global Positioning System and the Internet, Chicago Bar Assocation Record, October, 2001

Address

53 W. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 936
Chicago, IL 60604

Phones

(312) 834-0400

Faxes

(312) 834-0526

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.balough.com