Attorney Steven Adams

Steven B. Adams

Partner
312.332.7760
sadams@robbins-schwartz.com

Steven B. Adams

Steve represents government and commercial clients in a wide range of legal matters. Since beginning his practice in 1985, he has provided comprehensive general counsel services for over 30 Chicago-area park districts, municipalities, school districts and other units of local government primarily in northeastern Illinois.

Steve has vast experience handling all aspects of corporate representation of park district and other local governmental units, including Open Meetings Act/FOIA compliance, public finance and taxation, labor and employment, contracts and regulatory and administrative law matters, election law, civil rights issues, intergovernmental cooperation and conflict including regional intergovernmental agreements, foundations, not-for-profits and 501(c)(3) organizations, complex capital and real estate projects, and litigation. Steve has tried cases and actively litigated in state and federal courts on civil rights, election law, land use, construction law and state regulatory issues

Professional Background

Steve is a faculty member at the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education Local Government Law Institute, a member of the Lambda Alpha Land Economics Society, a member of the Board of Directors of the Naperville Heritage Society, former member of the Board of Directors of the Naperville Chamber of Commerce, and former chairman of the Chamber’s Legislative Committee. Steve has served as a Police and Fire Commissioner for the City of Naperville, and as an Executive Committee member of the Illinois Police and Fire Commissioner’s Association.

Recognitions

  • Illinois Leading Lawyers, Governmental, Municipal, Lobbying & Administrative Law

Organizations

  • American Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • DuPage County Bar Association
  • Illinois Association of Park Districts
  • Lambda Alpha Land Economics Society

Publications

Steve is co-author of the “Park District Guide to Illinois Sunshine Laws,” published in 2017 by the Illinois Association of Park Districts, and co-author of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s treatise on Park District Law, published in 2011.

He has had several articles pertaining to Illinois park district law published. Examples of his recent publications include:

  • “SCOTUS Draws Line on COVID-19 Restrictions and Houses of Worship” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Vol 167, No. 3 (January 7, 2021);
  • “Public Officials Social Media Accounts Newest Legal Tussle” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Vol. 165, No. 78 (April 22, 2019);
  • “Playing Nice in the Sandbox: Tips to Reduce Board Conflict and Improve Board Outcomes” Illinois Park and Recreation Magazine, Vol. 46, No. 5 (September/October 2015).

Presentations

Steve is an annual public speaker on local government legal developments, including presentations on real estate, development, tort liability, board development, governance, governmental policy and regulatory matters. He has made over 50 presentations to organizations such as the Illinois Association of Park Districts, the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, the National Business Institute, and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association. Representative presentations include:

  • Sex Offenders and Cannabis Use: Handling Sensitive Issues at Your District, IAPD Legal Symposium (2025)
  • Ethics for Park Boards—What You Need To Know, IAPD Boot Camps (2025)
  • Legal/Legislative Update, IAPD State Conference (2021-2025)
  • Boardmanship I and II, IAPD State Conference (2024)
  • Land Acquisition for Park and Forest Preserve Districts, IAPD State Conference (2023)
  • Commissioners’ Use of Social Media, IAPD State Conference (2021)

Practice Areas

Education

  • J.D., Indiana University, Maurer School of Law
  • B.S., History & Political Science, Indiana University Bloomington

Admissions

  • Unites States Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • Illinois Supreme Court

Location

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