Personal Quote
“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.”
- President Calvin Coolidge
Biography
Philip J. Lading is a shareholder and primarily practices in the firm’s Business and Business Litigation Practice Groups. Phil has extensive experience in municipal, local and state law, business and commercial litigation, insurance defense litigation, insurance coverage disputes and family law. He also serves as the City Attorney for Staunton, Illinois, and the Village Attorney for both New Douglas, Illinois, and Hamel, Illinois.
Phil was named a Community Leader of Tomorrow by the Southwestern Madison County Chamber of Commerce in 2005. He was also selected as one of the Illinois Business Journal's “Rising Stars of Southwestern Illinois” in 2008. This recognition applauds a class of young professionals who live and work in Southwestern Illinois and are leaders in the region, contributing in innovative ways through their profession and charitable efforts in their communities. Most recently, Phil was recognized as a 2011 Up and Coming Lawyer by Missouri Lawyers Weekly for his work within his field as well as within the community at large.
A sampling of Phil's litigation experience includes:
Bazzell v. MN Hospitality, Inc. Circuit Court of Madison County, Illinois. Phil obtained a defense verdict after a week jury trial, and two-hours of deliberation. A 25-year old man was shot by a motel guest, and rendered a paraplegic. Plaintiff claimed the defendant failed to protect him from the foreseeable criminal acts of the shooter.
Freeman v. Apex Physical Therapy, LLC. Circuit Court of Madison County, Illinois. Phil successfully litigated and substantially invalidated a series of restrictive covenants which the defendants sought to enforce against their former partner.
Handshy v. Macklin. Circuit Court of Effingham County, Illinois. Phil received a jury verdict in favor of his client and against a tavern that over-served a patron who left the bar and caused an auto accident. Verdict of jury affirmed during successful defense of appeal by the defendant.
Webb v. Allstate. Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Illinois. Summary judgment in favor of client’s insurance company on insurance coverage issue.
People v. Hasty. Circuit Court of Madison County, Illinois. Phil prosecuted and obtained a jury verdict finding defendant guilty of commission of various criminal offenses. The jury returned the guilty verdict in under a half-hour.
Tuggle v. Peters. Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Illinois. Phil obtained summary judgment on behalf of the client, a defendant in an auto accident lawsuit, on the issue of liability.
Hollis v. Bargiel. Circuit Court of Madison County, Illinois. Phil successfully defended and obtained a defense jury verdict in favor of his client in an auto accident case. Represented defendant against injury claims of passengers in a vehicle who claimed that their vehicle was side-swiped by our client.
Practice Groups
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Business Law
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Business Litigation
Industries/Areas of Practice
- Municipal Law
- Employment Law
- Family Law
- Insurance Coverage/Defense
- Banking/Finance
- Labor and Employment Law
- Construction Law/Litigation
- Business Organization
Civic Activities
Phil works closely with H.I.S. K.I.D.S., Inc., a local non-for-profit charitable organization based out of Highland, Illinois, whose mission is to serve children and their families who are dealing with cancer and other terminal illnesses.
Appointed Positions
- Appointed City Attorney, City of Staunton, IL, 2004 – Present
- Appointed Village Attorney, Village of New Douglas, IL, 2005 – Present
- Appointed Corporate Counsel, Meadowbrook Public Water District, 2010 – Present
- Appointed Village Attorney, Village of Hamel, Illinois, 2011 – Present
- Appointed Zoning Hearing Officer, Village of Pontoon Beach, IL, 2005 – 2007
- Appointed Zoning Attorney, Village of Pontoon Beach, IL, 2003 – 2007
- Appointed Assistant Village Attorney, Village of Pontoon Beach, IL, 2001 – 2007
- Appointed by Illinois Supreme Court to Fifth Appellate District Judicial Screening Committee, 2006
- Appointed by Illinois Supreme Court to Third Judicial Circuit Judicial Screening Committee, 2006
Professional Activities
Phil is licensed to practice law in the states of Illinois, Missouri, and Arizona, as well as before the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Phil is a member of the Madison County Bar Association, and formerly served on both the Illinois State Bar Association’s Insurance Law Section Counsel and Bench & Bar Section Counsel. He is also a member of the Edwardsville Gun Club, the oldest continually operational gun club in the United States.
Publications
Co-Author: Illinois Chamber of Commerce:
FMLA, ADA, Military and Other Leave Issues: A Guide for the Illinois Employer. (2011).
Speaking Engagements
Protecting Business Assets From Former Employees: Non-Competition and Other Restrictive Covenants, Effingham Chamber of Commerce, Effingham, Illinois (May 10, 2010)
Education
Phil received his Juris Doctorate,
cum laude, from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1999, graduating in the top 15% of his class.
He received his undergraduate degree in English/Legal Theory from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1996.