Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

I am Thomas Eric Ost. As a former Assistant Public Defender in DuPage County, I handled hundreds of criminal, mental health, and juvenile cases. Those cases ranged from DUIs, Domestic Batteries, and Retail Thefts to Aggravated Batteries and Murder. The police and the prosecutors seem to do their best to dehumanize defendants to everyone including to the defendants themselves. Yet in 23 years of practice, I’ve learned that most people with legal problems are not bad people. They are people who are caught up in a problem a lot bigger than they are and they need help. I want to provide help to give those good people a fighting chance. I don’t do just criminal law. In private practice, I expanded my reach to other areas of law to provide a full range of legal services over a wider geographic area. I now practice in DuPage, Will, and Cook Counties. So if you or a loved one needs legal help, call me. 708-359-1751.

Focus on Federal and State Criminal Law. I am available to practice in Illinois(state and Federal)and Indiana Federal courts. Please our website at waaltd.com for more information and for a listing of our current victories.

My name is James A. Payonk, Jr. I am a personal injury and criminal defense attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience. I am the founder of my law offices in Orland Park and Chicago, Illinois.

I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. I did my college undergraduate studies at DePaul University and obtained my law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. My family and I have lived in the southwest suburbs of Chicago for thirty years.

I am a member of the Federal trial bar of the United States District Court. I am also admitted to practice in the United States District Court of Appeals and have argued cases in the Court of Appeals in both the United States District Court and the State of Illinois. I have been an ongoing member of the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) and also the Illinois State Bar Association.

I have tried cases in Federal Court and in State Courts in the counties of Cook, Will, DuPage, Kane and Lake. In my career as a personal injury attorney, I have obtained million-dollar settlements on behalf of my clients as well as six-figure verdicts.

As a criminal defense attorney, I have successfully defended clients in both Federal Court and State Court. I have had my successful defense of a client published in the Chicago Tribune, and have had other successful defenses published in other sources.

I have personally tried more than 200 cases to verdict. I work hard for all of my clients and consider myself thorough, professional, caring, dedicated, and I aggressively represent all of my clients.