The Supreme Court of Illinois has taken disciplinary action against attorney Steven Gary Silets, striking his name from the roll of licensed attorneys in the state. The court’s order, entered on Thursday, September 21, 2023, came in response to Silets’ own motion seeking the removal of his name from the roll, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 762(a).
The case is entitled “In the Matter of Steven Gary Silets,” with case no. 2023PR00024.
Silets’ motion was supported by a statement of charges prepared by the Administrator of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission and an affidavit from Silets himself.
The charges against Silets allege that he engaged in misconduct by charging unreasonable fees for his court-appointed representation, making false statements to the tribunal in submitting fee petitions, and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. Specifically, Silets submitted fee petitions that overstated the amount of time he spent working on court-appointed matters, resulting in the court awarding him fees that were unreasonable.
Silets concedes that his conduct was in violation of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, including Rule 1.5(a) (charging an unreasonable fee), Rule 3.3(a)(1) (making false statements to the court), and Rule 8.4(c) and (d) (engaging in conduct involving misrepresentation and prejudicial to the administration of justice).
The allegations against Silets were discovered during a review of his fee petitions by the court’s finance staff, which revealed that he had billed over 4,000 hours as a court-appointed attorney in the Circuit Court of Cook County from August 2021 to approximately October 2022. The review also showed that Silets had petitioned for payment of fees for approximately 3,274 hours in a twelve-month period, equating to more than 62 hours of billable work each week.
In its order, the Supreme Court approved Silets’ motion and directed that his name be stricken from the roll of attorneys licensed to practice law in Illinois. The court’s decision effectively ends Silets’ career as a licensed attorney in the state and marks a significant consequence for his alleged misconduct.
According to Avvo, Mr. Silets is a juvenile law attorney in Northbrook, Illinois. He acquired his law license in Illinois in 1973.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
