Overview

James Rhodes’ practice is concentrated in the representation of local government entities and their officials in all areas of municipal law. 

Representing numerous municipal boards and officials within the state of Illinois, Jim has extensive experience advising clients on a myriad of local government issues, including land use and redevelopment, real estate, construction, contracts and financing, economic development, employment matters and police and fire hiring and discipline. He works with clients on matters relating to the general operations, including practices and procedures, the Open Meetings Act, the Freedom of Information Act. He also counsels local governments on compliance with State and Federal law and regulatory requirements including but not limited to the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Equal Opportunity Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act and Federal Communications Commission Regulations.

Assisting municipalities with economic development, he has worked to create a number of Tax Increment Financing Districts including the Wheeling Milwaukee Avenue Corridor, the Park Ridge Uptown Redevelopment, the Carpentersville Route 25 Corridor Redevelopment Project and the Carol Stream North Avenue-Schmale Road Redevelopment Project. Jim has also negotiated economic incentive agreements for several municipalities.

Jim has also represented municipalities, officials and individuals with Illinois Election Code matters involving campaign and ballot questions and regularly serves as a Court-Appointed Public Member for Local Government Electoral Boards.

He has been a certified Illinois Municipal Administrative Hearing Officer since 2002.

Jim counsels both private and non-profit corporations on general corporate matters and he currently represents the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

Jim served as a DuPage County Assistant State’s Attorney in both the Criminal Division and the Civil Division, where he acted as counsel to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Merit Commission, the DuPage County Zoning Board and then the Sheriff of DuPage County. He successfully represented the Sheriff in a number of civil rights cases brought by pretrial detainees.

In 1981, Jim went into private practice concentrating in the representation of municipalities, their officials and employees in civil rights, employment and constitutional law litigation in both the state and federal courts and before the Illinois Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Jim served as Village Attorney for the Village of Wheeling from 1982 to 2002. He currently serves as the Village Attorney for the Villages of Carol Stream and Mettawa and serves as special counsel to a number of municipalities throughout Illinois.

James received his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 1976 and a B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago in 1973. Jim is admitted to practice in Illinois as well as before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.