On Friday, September 19, 2025, the Illinois Supreme Court granted Charles F. Morrissey’s motion to have his name removed from the Roll of Attorneys, effective immediately. Morrissey submitted his motion with a statement of charges prepared by the Administrator of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) and his affidavit supporting the motion.
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Charles F. Morrissey,” with case number 2024PR00063.
The ARDC’s statement of charges, filed contemporaneously with Morrissey’s motion, revealed a pending two-count complaint against him before the ARDC’s Hearing Board. The complaint alleged that Morrissey converted approximately $388,064 from two separate client matters and made misrepresentations to the clients and the court regarding the availability of the converted funds.
According to the ARDC, between October 2023 and June 2024, Morrissey allegedly converted at least $388,064 in funds belonging to his clients or their lienholders, using the funds for personal purposes without authorization.
One instance involved a personal injury case where Morrissey represented a client identified as C.S. After reaching a $175,000 settlement in September 2023, Morrissey deposited the funds into his IOLTA account on October 6, 2023. The ARDC alleged that before disbursing the settlement proceeds, Morrissey reduced the IOLTA account balance to $1 through personal and business withdrawals, resulting in the alleged conversion of $116,724 owed to C.S. and her third-party lienholders.
It was also alleged that Morrissey falsely told C.S.’s daughter in a text message that he had not and would not steal her mother’s money. Then, he texted C.S.’s daughter a screenshot of his IOLTA account balance and falsely stated to her that her mother’s settlement funds remained in the account.
The second matter involved a real estate transaction in February 2024, where Morrissey represented a client identified as P.M. and his business in the sale of a property. Following the closing on March 12, 2024, Morrissey deposited $301,340.72, representing the net proceeds from the sale, into his IOLTA account. The ARDC alleged that between March and June 2024, Morrissey reduced the IOLTA account balance to $30,000.99 through unauthorized withdrawals, resulting in the alleged conversion of at least $271,339.73 belonging to P.M. and his company. It was also alleged that Morrissey falsely stated to P.M. in multiple text messages that Chase had put a hold on all of Movant’s accounts and that the bank was preventing him from delivering the real estate proceeds to P.M.
Furthermore, during a June 5, 2024 hearing on a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction filed by P.M. and his company, Morrissey allegedly falsely stated to Judge D. Atkins that the $301,340.72 in real estate proceeds remained in his IOLTA account.
The ARDC contended that Morrissey’s actions violated several rules of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct (2010), including failing to hold client property separately, making false statements to a tribunal, disobeying obligations under the rules of a tribunal, and engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.
According to Avvo, Mr. Morrissey was a commercial real estate lawyer in Chicago, IL. He acquired his law license in Illinois in 1997.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
