FIND AN ATTORNEY WITH THE COMPETENCE AND EXPERIENCE
YOU NEED
Steve McCollum
STEVE McCOLLUM HAS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AS:
Chief Deputy State's Attorney for Lake County, Illinois
Chief of the Felony Review Division for the Lake County State's Attorney's Office
Chief of the Misdemeanor and Traffic Divisions for the Lake County State's Attorney's
Office
Chief of the Juvenile Trial Division for
the Lake County State's Attorney's Office
Chairman,
Lake County Bar Association's Criminal Trials and Appeals Committee
Former Founding Member of the Lake County Domestic Violence Council with Extensive Experience Defending
Domestic Battery cases and Litigating Domestic Violence Orders of Protection
Extensive Trial Experience Including Multiple Trials of First Degree Murder Death Penalty Cases,
Reckless Homicide, DUI, Domestic Battery, Juvenile Court Cases, Drug Charges, Sexual Assault, Felony and Misdemeanor
Cases
Extensive Experience in Juvenile Court
Proceedings including Petition for Adjudication of Wardship, Juvenile Delinquency Petitions, Juvenile Neglect and Abuse Petitions;
Many Appeals of DCFS Indicated Finding of Abuse or Neglect
Extensive
DUI and Reckless Homicide Trial Experience
Experience
with DCFS Appeals of Indicated Findings of Neglect or Abuse
Former
Member of the 19th Judicial Circuit Capital Litigation Trial Bar Screening Committee (Appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court)
Former Member of the Illinois Supreme Court's Local Ordinance Rules Committee (Appointed by
the Illinois Supreme Court)
STEVE McCOLLUM
IS CURRENTLY:
2nd Vice-President of the Lake
County Bar Association
Member of the Lake County
Bar Association's Board of Directors and Executive Committee
Member of Lake County Sexual Assault Coordinating Council
Member of the Lake County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
Welcome to 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 Waukegan, Illinois, Steve McCollum is available to handle felony, misdemeanor, juvenile delinquency, DUI (Driving
Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs), and traffic cases. Steve has practiced as a lawyer as both a prosecutor and
a defense attorney in Waukegan, Illinois, the county seat of Lake County, Illinois.
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.
What qualities and experience should you be looking for in a lawyer to
defend you or a loved one against a Criminal, DUI or Juvenile Court case:
Does the lawyer have extensive, practical experience
defending somone charged with the particular type of Felony, Misdemeanor, DUI or Juvenile case you have?
A lawyer who has worked for years -- drafting and arguing motions, presenting witnesses, negotiating dispositions, doing trials --
will know what is the best way to defend you. Different circumstances, clients, and prosecutors require different tactics,
and an experienced attorney doesn't make the mistake of either being too aggressive or too accomodating when dealing with
the State.
Has the
lawyer been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney? Lawyers who have extensive prosecution experience
understand what is needed to attack the State's case. A lawyer who has worked as a prosecutor in Lake County will
know the police departments and police officers, and generally will have greater credibility before the Judge who will hear
your case. A defense attorney with extensive prosecutorial experience will have presented witnesses and experts
in court and know what makes the prosecution's case weak or strong.
Does the lawyer know the court system in Waukegan where Felony, Misdemeanor and
DUI cases are heard in Lake County? A lawyer who has years of involvement in the Court system through the Lake
County Bar Association and other committees and groups will have a much better knowledge of the people and procedures in Lake
County.
If
the case involves a juvenile petition, has the lawyer ever been a juvenile court prosecutor or defense lawyer in the Lake
County Juvenile Court in Vernon Hills, Illinois? Juvenile court is very different than adult court, and each Juvenile
Court is different. It is important to know the rules, procedures, and personnel in that particular court system.
The primary focus of Steve McCollum's
law practice is on the criminal defense of Felony, Misdemeanor, Juvenile, DUI, and related matters such as Domestic Violence
Orders of Protection. Steve McCollum's experience as a criminal lawyer has included 16 years as a prosecutor of Felony,
Misdemeanor, DUI, and Juvenile cases, including 12 years as a supervisor in the Lake County State's Attorney's
Office. It also includes 16 years as a criminal defense lawyer defending criminal Felony, Misdemeanor, Driving Under
the Influence of Alcohol (DUI), and Juvenile cases of all types in Lake County, Illinois.
As the Chief
Deputy State's Attorney for the Lake County State's Attorney's Office in Waukegan, Illinois, Steve McCollum supervised all
criminal prosecutors and prosecutions in Lake County. He also personally litigated many of the most serious First
Degree Murder, White Collar Theft, and Sexual Assault cases. He tried many jury trials, including trials involving prosecutions
for First Degree Murder (including seven Death Penalty cases), Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault, Reckless Homicide, Drug
Delivery and Possession Cases, and Financial Crime (Theft) 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, Battery, Aggravated Battery and Domestic Battery,
Violation of Order of Protection, Burglary and many other types of cases.
Steve was the Chairman
of the Lake County Bar Association's Criminal Trials and Appeals Committee for many years. He is active member of the Lake
County Bar Association committees. He currently serves on its Board of Directors as the 2nd Vice President having been
elected by the lawyer-members of the Bar Association, and is scheduled to be President of the LCBA in two years.
As a Member of the Illinois State Bar Association Steve was appointed to three terms of the Death Penalty
Qualification Screening Committee for Lake and McHenry Counties by the Illinois Supreme Court. This three person committee determined
which attorneys met the qualifications necessary 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. He was appointed by the Illinois
Supreme Court to a committee to determine new Supreme Court Rules for the State of Illinois concerning local ordinance violations.
What is most important to you is that this experience translates into results.
Steve 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
vigorously defend them and 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, the Law Offices of
Steven P. McCollum, P.C. also handles a limited number of civil litigation, personal injury, divorce, and other legal
matters, often in conjunction with other well-known attorneys.
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: 847-360-9100
Steve McCollum is a well respected
Lake County, Illinois criminal defense and juvenile defense lawyer, with over 25 years of experience as a prosecutor
and defense attorney representing both adult and juvenile clients concerning cases throughout Northeastern Illinois, including
the cities of Antioch, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield, Fox Lake, Grayslake, Gurnee, Highwood, Highland Park, Lake Villa,
Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Lindenhurst, Long Grove, Mundelein, Round Lake Area, Spring
Grove, Vernon Hills, Wauconda, Waukegan, Zion, and all other areas of Lake County, Illinois in the areas of felony and misdemeanor
criminal defense, DUI defense, and Juvenile Law.
