William W. P. Atkins

Position: Counsel
E-mail: watkins@peorialawyers.com
Phone: (309) 691-9650
Facsimile: (309) 691-9651

Narrative:

Mr. Atkins has a diverse background of experience. In his years practicing law, he has served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Livingston, Tazewell and Peoria counties. Most recently he served as the Chief Civil Assistant State’s Attorney in Peoria County. In his time working for these counties, Mr. Atkins has handled a wide variety of cases including zoning, real estate purchases, contract preparation, ordinance violations, juvenile, misdemeanor, felony, and traffic cases.

Practice Areas:

• Municipal/Governmental Law
• Family Law
• Criminal Law
• Civil Litigation

Licenses:

• United States Supreme Court
• United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• United States Central District of Illinois
• United States Northern District of Indiana
• United States Southern District of Indiana
• Illinois State and Appellate Courts

Testimonials:

“As County Clerk I have been responsible for maintaining various records, extending real estate tax levies and managing the numerous employees necessary for these and other functions.  Bill’s assistance was invaluable in all of these areas.  He advised me regarding the release of records to the public, various aspects of real estate tax law including extending tax levies for municipalities and other units of local government, and all of the issues that arise in supervising employees.  In these and other areas, he was a tremendous asset to the Peoria County Clerk’s Office.” 
          Steve Sonnemaker, Peoria County Clerk

“Bill Atkins represented me and my staff for 11 years.  During that time he took two cases to jury trial, one in State court and one in Federal court and won them both.  He also handled many other cases in court and in various administrative hearing situations, routinely obtaining favorable results for us.” 
           Michael D. McCoy, Peoria County Sheriff

“Bill Atkins brought to Peoria County a tremendous amount of intellect, professionalism, dignity and a willingness to share his expertise with others.  He provided invaluable counsel to the Peoria County Board.” 
          Andrew Rand, Peoria County Board Chairman

"As the Director of Human Resources for Peoria County, I worked closely with Bill on personnel matters ranging from disciplines and grievances to fact finding conferences with the Department of Human Rights and the Department of Labor.  Whether dealing with FMLA, employment discrimination, collective bargaining or any other aspect of managing the County’s workforce of approximately 1,000 employees, Bill was always ready with advice and assistance."
          Katie Van Beek, HR Director for Peoria County

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Political Science- Ball State University, Muncie, IN
  • Dean’s List and Presidential Scholarship; Student Senate On-Campus Senator
• Juris Doctor- Loyola University Chicago School of Law- Chicago, IL
  • Consumer Law Reporter Lead Articles Editor
  • Student Editor and Author for Bar Examiner

Speaking Engagements and Articles:

• "The Grass is Always Greener: A Defense of the American Legal Education System” (November, 1994)
• Co-authored with Loyola Professor Michal Kaufman “Gifts in Law and Literature”
• “Law for Correctional Officers”, Police Training Institute
• “Ensuring Honesty and Integrity in Local Government”, Peoria County and City of Peoria personnel training
• “Grievances & You – How Not to Take the You Part Personally, Peoria County manager       training
• “Discrimination – Get the Facts on the Law”, Peoria County personnel training
• “Controlling the Unemployment Cost Center”, Peoria County manager training
• “What You Need to Know about Public Records and Open Meetings”, Lorman Education   Services
• “Proper Care and Feeding of FOIA Requesters”, Peoria County personnel training
• “Openness v. Privacy”, e-Government Academy University of Illinois
• "Navigating FMLA, VESSA, and Worker’s Compensation”, Peoria County manager training
• “Performance Evaluations:  My Personal View (And Why I am Right!), Peoria County manager training
• “Personnel Documentation”, Peoria County manager training
• “Purchasing Practices and Pitfalls for Local Governments”,  IAPPO
• "Ethics for the Government Civil Attorney”, National District Attorneys Association
• “Conflicts of Interest for Government Attorneys”, Peoria County Bar Association

Appellate Experience:

• Savory v. Lyons (7th Cir.)
• Williams v. Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office (3rd Dist.)
• People ex rel. Lyons v. Parker (3rd Dist.)
• Kemper v. Tazewell County (3rd Dist.)
• Henderson v. City of Peoria and County of Peoria (1st Dist.)
• Neuman v. McCoy (7th Cir.)
• In the Matter of Peoria County Tax Sale (3rd Dist.)
• Levan v. George (7th Cir.)
• Gayton v. Peoria County (7th Cir.)
• Doyle v. Peoria County (7th Cir.)