Schuyler, Roche & Crisham, P.C. Large enough to to the job right, small enough to listen
 

Jeffrey T. Kubes
Shareholder

When Jeffrey Kubes and Tom Crisham formed Crisham & Kubes, Ltd. in 2001, a new era in complex civil litigation was born. It was a firm small in size but among the most highly respected in the country for bringing a specialized expertise and appreciation to the intricacies of civil litigation, particularly in the areas of construction law, professional liability and product liability. Jeffrey Kubes has successfully represented numerous design professionals, contractors, and owners on claims involving allegations of design and construction defects.

Among his vast trial experience, including several jury verdicts in Cook County and four collar counties, Jeffrey Kubes and the defense teams under his guidance have effected decisions at trial that have literally changed how the roles of design professionals are viewed in matters of professional liability.

John Hancock Building litigation: As lead counsel representing the design professionals in the matter involving a 100-foot swing stage that fell from the 34th floor and resulted in catastrophic injuries and several deaths, Jeffrey and his team experienced more than four years of discovery and litigation, including 18 plaintiffs filing lawsuits against 20 different defendants, 50+ depositions and significant legal wrangling to achieve an extremely favorable settlement on behalf of their clients - totaling less than 5% of the more than $90 million received by all plaintiffs.

Federal Fair Housing Act/ADA: Pursuant to these federal statutes, initiated in 1990-1991 but first enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice in Chicago in 1996, letters were issued to architects and developers on 50 different multi-family projects throughout the Chicago area threatening to enter restraining orders terminating all construction and marketing of these units. Jeffrey served as lead counsel for the design professionals that were cited and sued by the U.S. Department of Justice. Following many months of meetings with U.S. Senators and Representatives and the entire Department of Justice, the Department revamped its prosecutorial strategy and instead of focusing on the design professionals, placed them a distant second to developers. As a result, design professionals are frequently no longer named as defendants in those lawsuits. From that initial involvement, Jeffrey Kubes and his team have handled hundreds of high profile Federal Fair Housing Act and ADA matters throughout the U.S. Also, for the past 12 years, Jeffrey has served as national counsel for all Federal Fair Housing Act and ADA matters filed against CNA-insured design professionals.

Prolific author, highly sought-after lecturer and expert litigator, Jeffrey Kubes and his talented colleagues are proud to continue setting new standards in civil litigation as an integral part of Schuyler, Roche & Crisham, P.C.

Publications

"Illinois Design Professionals Beware - If You Include Duty to Defend Provisions in Your Contracts, You May End Up "Paying" for More Than You Bargained"; paper published in Euclid Insurance Agencies Newsletter, July 2010.

"Preferred Risk Management Seminar B Part VI", conducted for various insurers and insureds; lectures and papers presented, Oak Brook, Illinois, February 9, 2010.

"Exit Stage Left - Tips for When a Professional Employee Moves to Your Competitor's Design Firm", handout at Preferred Risk Management Seminar - Part VI, Oak Brook, Illinois, February 9, 2010.

The Legal Aspects of the Practice of Engineering; seminar presented to Illinois Society of Professional Engineers - Salt Creek Chapter, Westmont, Illinois, January 20, 2010.

Illinois Court Enforces Contract Clause Shortening Status of Limitations; paper published in The Critical Path, a DRI Construction Law publication, October 29, 2009.

Limiting Counterclaims and Third-Party Claims In FHA Cases; paper published in The Critical Path, a DRI Construction Law publication, June 25, 2009.

"Konstant Contract Clause Starts Four-Year Clock Ticking", article published in the Licensed Architect periodical, an Association of Licensed Architects publication, April 2009

"The Ethics of the Practice - Keeping Your License Intact", lecture presented to the ASCE Geotechnical Group, Chicago, IL, February 11, 2009

"Learning to Recognize Risk: A Case Study", seminar presented to the Association of Licensed Architects, Northbrook, IL, May 13, 2008

"Don't Be Disabled by the ADA", seminar on the Americans with Disabilities Act, presented to engineers, municipal representatives and contractors, Itasca, IL, September 13, 2007

"Defamation Claims Against Experts", paper published in The Critical Path, a DRI Construction Law publication, September 2007

"Potential Benefits and Risks of Offshore Outsourcing", paper published in The Critical Path, September 2007

"Members of the Political Action Committee of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois", panelist, August 30, 2007

"46th Annual Meeting of Invited Attorneys", moderator of three-day seminar presented to attorneys involved with the representation of design professionals throughout the U.S., Chicago, IL, May 16-18, 2007

"Design of Construction Basics", seminar presented to professional liability insurance claims representatives of CNA, Chicago, IL, May 15, 2007

"Consultant Liability", lecture presented to members of the American Society of Civil Engineers - Illinois Section, Schaumburg, IL February 8, 2007

"Effects of Cutting Corners", lecture presented to members of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois, Chicago, IL, January 9, 2007

"Out-of-State Engineering Experts", paper published in For the Defense, a DRI Construction Law publication, September, 2006

"Hiring Foreign Workers", paper published in For the Defense, September, 2006

Avoiding Litigation - Learning from Prior Mistakes, lecture presented to design professionals, Oak Brook, IL, September 29, 2006

"The Ethics of the Practice - Keeping Your License Intact", lecture presented at the Chicago Architecture Conference sponsored by the Association of Licensed Architects, Oak Brook, IL, September 19, 2006

"Seminar in Risk Management", conducted for representatives of a civil engineering/surveying firm, Naperville, IL, June 7, 2006

"The Pros and Cons of Working with a Construction Manager", paper and lecture presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of Invited Attorneys, Savannah, Georgia, May 18-20, 2006

"Residential Projects - The Real Money Pit", lecture and seminar presented for the Association of Licensed Architects, Northbrook, IL, May 4, 2006

"Joint and Several Liability Issues: Defending Multiparty Cases", paper and lecture presented at the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel Spring Defense Tactics Seminar, Chicago, IL, March 10, 2006

"Avoiding the Courtroom - Learning from the Mistakes of Others", lecture presented at the Chicago Architecture Conference sponsored by the Association of Licensed Architects, Oak Brook, IL November 8, 2005

Author of various articles published monthly for the Construction Law and Litigation Committee of the IADC, 2004-2005

"Avoiding Pitfalls in Construction Litigation", paper published in the Defense Counsel Journal, Vol. 72, No. 2, Pages 170-180, April, 2005

Author of several articles published semi-annually in The Critical Path, 2005-2006

"Risk Management Seminar", conducted for representatives of civil engineering and surveying firms, Lansing, IL, March 7, 2005

"Utilizing AIA Contract Forms", lecture and paper presented at the IADC Mid-Year Meeting, February, 2005

"The Perils of Third-Party Practice in Construction Litigation", lecture and paper presented at the IADC Mid-Year Meeting, February 10, 2004

"Legal Issues Affecting the Practice of Civil Engineering and Wetland Consulting", lecture presented at the Illinois Association for Floodplain and Storm Water Management annual conference, March 4, 2004

"Preferred Risk Management Seminar - Part IV", lectures and papers presented to insurers and insureds, Oak Brook, IL, May 8, 2003

"Legal Issues Affecting the MEP Engineer", lecture presented to the Illinois Chapter of ASHRAE, April 14, 2004

"Defective Construction Claims", paper and lectures presented at a seminar sponsored by Property Loss Research Bureau, Orlando, FL, March 31-April 2, 2003

"Technology Round Table", paper and letter presented for the Chicago Building Congress, Chicago, IL, March 19, 2003

"Architects/Engineers' Liability: Latest Trends", paper and lecture presented at a seminar sponsored by Lorman Educational Institute, Chicago, IL, February 12, 2003

"The Design Professional in the Electronic Age", Glenview, IL, June 18, 2002

"Illinois Law for Design Professionals", sponsored by Lorman Educational Institute, Chicago, IL, June 13, 2002

"Preferred Risk Management Seminar - Part III", lectures and papers presented to insurers and insureds, Oak Brook, IL, May, 2002

"Claim Prevention for Illinois Design Professionals", papers and lectures presented at a seminar sponsored by Lorman Educational Institute, Chicago, IL, April 11, 2002

"Risk Management Seminar", conducted for representatives of civil engineering and surveying firms, Oak Brook, IL, March, 2002

"Contracts and Lawsuits - Is This the Remedy?" - lecture presented at PLUS 2001 International Conference, Chicago, IL, November 15, 2001

"Illinois Law for Design Professionals, Part II", papers and lectures presented at a seminar sponsored by Lorman Educational Institute, Chicago, IL, November 6, 2001

"May a Design Professional Electronically Seal or Sign Drawings?" - article, August, 2001

"Requests for Information - Protecting Against Greedy Contractors", article, June, 2001

"Preferred Risk Management Seminar - Part II", lectures and papers presented to insurers and insureds, Oak Brook, IL, June, 2001

"Illinois Law for Design Professionals", papers and lectures presented at a seminar sponsored by Lorman Educational Institute, Chicago, IL, November 29, 2000

"Preferred Risk Management Seminar", lectures and papers presented to insurers and insureds, Oak Brook, IL, September, 2000

"Professional Liability Update", paper and lecture presented at seminar sponsored by Professional Liability Underwriting Society - Midwest Chapter, Chicago, IL, October, 1999

"The FFHA and ADA: Do They Spell Trouble for Design Professionals?" - paper and lecture presented at seminar sponsored by CNA Insurance Company, Tucson, AZ, May 22, 1999

"Broad Interpretation of the ADA - Owners, Contractors and Design Professionals Beware", paper and lecture presented at seminar sponsored by the Defense Research Institute Construction Law Committee, Las Vegas, NV, March 11, 1999

"Owners, Architects, Design Professionals, Contractors: Who's Responsible for Safety?" - paper and lecture presented at seminar sponsored by the Construction Safety Counsel, Rosemont, IL, March, 1999

"Interviewing Witnesses and Clients", paper and lecture presented at a seminar sponsored by the Illinois Paralegal Association, Chicago, IL, November 11, 1998

"Tort Law Update", paper and lecture presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of Invited Attorneys, New Orleans, LA, May, 1998

"Trial Preparation Update", paper and lecture presented at seminar sponsored by the Illinois Paralegal Association, Chicago, IL, 1996 and 1997

"No Docs - No Dough", paper and lecture presented to the American Subcontractors Association - Chicago Chapter, Hillside, IL, May 3, 1994

"Trial Preparation", paper and lecture presented at seminar sponsored by the Illinois Paralegal Association, Chicago, IL, October 20, 1994

"Risk Management", presentation to the Pan American and Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, Chicago, IL, 1993

Author of various articles for the Tort Trends publication of the Illinois State Bar Association Tort Litigation Committee, 1992-1995

"Case Summaries on Latest Construction Precedent", Hinshaw Reports: Torts, 1991-1995

"Additional Insured Status - Insurers Beware!" - lecture and papers presented to representatives of various insurers, 1992-1993

"My Insurance Company is Insolvent - Now What...", Illinois State Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division publication, May 1991