Nicholas G. Grapsas is a native Chicagoan who has practiced law in the Chicago area for nearly 24 years and is quite familiar with the state and federal court systems in and around Cook County. Nick has served as a senior prosecutor for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office where, as a senior prosecutor in the felony trial division, he was responsible for the management and trials of hundreds of felony prosecutions concerning both violent and financial crimes. Nick personally tried a substantial number of these cases to jury verdict or judge’s finding. Nick also oversaw the trials performed by junior prosecutors and supervised the development of felony prosecutions in their pre-charging stages before cases reached the courtroom.

After Nick left the State’s Attorney’s Office he joined a prominent and well-respected downtown law firm where he became a partner and focused in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, commercial litigation, government law and appellate practice. Nick served as an assistant to the Special Counsel to the Illinois Secretary of State in which capacity he was involved in the “License for Bribes” investigation which resulted in the federal prosecution and convictions of numerous former state employees, including the former Secretary of State and Governor.

In addition, Nick represented and advised local municipalities and government officials as Special Counsel and was often called on to advise municipalities on proper police practice and procedures. As Court-appointed Special State’s Attorney, Nick successfully represented a government official who was alleged in a series of civil lawsuits of committing fraud and other malfeasance. In those cases, Nick prevailed in each level of the state court system.

Nick’s present practice is focused in the area of criminal defense and civil litigation throughout the Chicago area. Almost every day, Nick is in the state and federal courtrooms of Chicago defending the rights and claims of people and businesses accused of crimes or other allegations.

Moreover, Nick also serves as the Illinois Public Administrator for Cook County by appointment of the Governor and unanimous consent and confirmation of the Illinois Senate. In that office, Nick is charged by law with the duty of administering the estates of persons who have died without wills or whose designated executors cannot serve to administer the decedents’ wills. Nick oversees a staff of dedicated people who investigate these estates and govern them through the Cook County court system until they are closed by the distribution of their assets. Nick accounts for and protects these assets from plunder, theft and other wrongdoing so that the rightful persons obtain them properly and lawfully

Nick was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1988. He is also a member of the Bars of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, including the Federal Trial Bar, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He also serves as panel counsel with the Federal Defender Program of the United States District Court in which capacity he is appointed by federal judges of the United States District Court to represent defendants.

Nick is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Board of Directors of the ALS Association of Greater Chicago (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and a Board Member of the Delta Sigma Phi Alumnae Board of Loyola University of Chicago.

Nick graduated from Loyola University of Chicago College of Arts and Sciences and from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. He lives in Palatine and has been married to his wife Diane for almost 25 years. They have two sons ages 19 and 17……and the world’s greatest Golden Retriever—Caley