Education:

Born in Peoria, Illinois, 1951; Admitted to Bar, 1979, Illinois. Education - Illinois State University (B.S., 1973); John Marshall Law School (J.D., 1979); Areas of practice include civil litigation, including complex litigation. Areas of emphasis include personal injury law, employment discrimination and labor law.

Biography:

Mr. Waters broke new and important ground with Boyles v. Greater Peoria Mass Transit District. In that case, the Illinois Supreme Court held that a suit for retaliatory discharge is an action in tort that is independent of an employee's contract or collective bargaining agreement. Additionally, the Court held that such an action was not precluded by the Local Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act. The Boyles case was deemed to have national significance and was cited in both the Labor Relations Reporter and Individual Employee Rights Cases (124 L.R.R.M. BNA 2042; Indiv. Empl. Rts. Cs. BNA 1007).

Mr. Waters has served as an expert witness for a union in an arbitration involving discharge of employees for allegedly engaging in improper activities while receiving workers' compensation benefits. Mr. Waters has acted in a Pro Bono capacity as an advisor to unions financially unable to retain counsel in both arbitration and contract interpretation matters. He is also active in prosecuting actions to enforce the Davis-Bacon Act and Illinois Prevailing Wage Act.

Mr. Waters has frequently been honored by his peers. He is an elected manager of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. He has been requested by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education to author chapters in its handbooks. He has made frequent presentations to his fellow lawyers both statewide for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and locally for the Peoria County Bar Association.

He has also appeared as a legal expert on television broadcasts and has served as an instructor at the People's Law School course on personal injury law. He is currently the chair of the Peoria County Bar Association, Courts and Procedures Committee, Civil Law Section. He also serves on the Continuing Legal Education Committee and the Medical Legal Relations Committee of the Peoria County Bar Association.

He has served as a planning chairman and moderator for a Peoria County Bar Association seminar on Employer-Employee Rights and Relationships. He actively represents clients in employment discrimination cases founded on age, race, sex and disability. He has made numerous presentations to the union leaders and union memberships on a variety of topics.

Areas of Practice:

• Civil Litigation
• Personal Injury Law
• Employment Discrimination
• Labor Law

Community Involvement

Mike dedicates time to CASA of Peoria County, a nonprofit, volunteer organization that advocates for the best interests of abused and neglected children within the Juvenile and Probate Court systems. Its existence is based on the belief that every child has the right to a safe and permanent home allowing them the chance to reach their full potential in life.

CASA of Peoria County has been serving abused and neglected children since 2005. Mike was one of the first advocates trained and certified in Peoria. CASA volunteers provide consistency to the children on their case, submit reports to the judge prior to all court hearings, and make certain that the child's best interests are represented.