Law Offices of Steven P. McCollum, P.C.

Welcome to the website of the Law Offices of Steven P. McCollum, P.C. Steve McCollum is a criminal defense lawyer in Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois. As an attorney with over 29 years of trial experience prosecuting and defending criminal cases, Steve McCollum is available to handle felony, misdemeanor, juvenile delinquency, DUI (Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs), and traffic cases.

Steve has been an attorney since 1978 and has practiced law as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney in Waukegan, Illinois, the county seat of Lake County, Illinois.

The primary focus of Steve McCollum's law practice is on the criminal defense of serious Felony, Misdemeanor, Juvenile, DUI, and related matters. If you or someone you care about has a Criminal, Juvenile, DUI, or other case, it can be difficult to choose between the many attorneys that claim to have the competence and expertise necessary to successfully defend the case. It is vital that you look at the background and experience of the lawyer you are considering hiring. There is no worse feeling than the realization in the middle of your case that your lawyer didn't have the experience necessary to competently defend you.

Steve McCollum's experience as a criminal lawyer has included 16 years as a prosecutor, including 12 years as a supervisor in the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, and 11 years as a criminal defense lawyer handling all types of serious criminal felony cases, misdemeanor cases, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI) and Reckless Homicide cases, and Traffic matters.

Steve was the Chief Deputy State's Attorney for the Lake County State's Attorney's Office in Waukegan, Illinois. In that capacity he was in charge of all criminal prosecutors and prosecutions in Lake County, while also handling many of the most serious cases. He tried many cases, including trials of persons charged with First Degree Murder (including Death Penalty cases), Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault, Reckless Homicide, Drug Delivery and Possession Cases, and Financial Crime cases.

Other positions held by Steve McCollum in the Lake County State's Attorney's Office included being the Chief of the Felony Review Division, Chief of the Misdemeanor and Traffic Division, and Chief of the Juvenile Trial Division. In those positions Steve handled Grand Jury matters, Reckless Homicide and serious accident cases, DUI and related charges, and all juvenile delinquency, neglect and abuse cases.

As a defense attorney Steve has successfully defended people charged with First Degree Murder, Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault and Abuse, Reckless Homicide, Child Pornography, large-scale white collar financial crimes (embezzlement), drug charges (controlled substance and cannabis / marijuana), DUI and Aggravated DUI, Domestic Battery, Violation of Order of Protection and many other types of cases.

Steve is the current Chairman of the Lake County Bar Association's Criminal Trials and Appeals Committee, a position he previously held on several occasions. He is active on other Lake County Bar Association committees, including the Judiciary and Court Rules Committee and the Judicial Selection and Retention Committee.

As a Member of the Illinois State Bar Association Steve has twice been appointed by the Illinois Supreme court and is currently a member of the 19th Judicial Circuit (Lake and McHenry Counties) Death Penalty Qualification Screening Committee which reviews the qualifications for area attorneys to handle death penalty cases in Lake and McHenry counties. He was a founding member of the Lake County Domestic Violence Council which set up procedures for the police, prosecutors and the courts for domestic battery cases. He was a member of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. He has been a speaker at several seminars concerning Criminal Law and Juvenile Law for the Lake County Bar Association.

It is important to know that Steve McCollum's experience translates into results for his clients. He has repeatedly convinced Judges to suppress evidence resulting in his client's criminal charges being dismissed. His past experience working with prosecutors and police has enabled him to convince prosecutors to dismiss cases against his clients. His experience in using and cross-examining expert and other professional witnesses, such as police officers, doctors, and laboratory personnel, has resulted in repeated findings of "not guilty" in trials in the Lake County court system. Even in cases where there has been substantial evidence against his clients, Steve has convinced prosecutors to reduce charges so that the result was a disposition of the case that didn't affect his clients' lives on a long-term basis.

All clients of the Law Offices of Steven P. McCollum, P.C. are treated in a courteous, professional manner.  We truly care about what happens to our clients and do our best to help them solve their problems. To do that, Steve McCollum and his staff use a combination of experience, training, and compassion.

In addition to criminal and juvenile matters, attorneys affiliated with the Law Offices of Steven P. McCollum, P.C. also handle civil litigation, including personal injury, divorce, and other legal matters.

If you have any type of legal matter, please call for an appointment. There is no charge for the initial consultation. If we are unable to handle your case, we will refer you to an attorney who has the experience and expertise necessary for your needs.


Law Offices of Steven P. McCollum, P.C.
415 Washington Street, Suite 103,
Waukegan, Illinois 60085-5564
Telephone: 847-662-2474
Fax: 847-249-7588