City of Chicago Legal Department

The Legal Department is committed to achieving the objectives of the city and its programs and services through work involving communities, the environment and economic development. Legal lawyers have unprecedented opportunities to take responsibility for important cases, learn various areas of law, and play a role in visible issues that affect public policy. The department`s lawyers provide legal assistance in drafting laws at the request of the mayor`s office, municipal services and aldermen. Celia is an experienced attorney with diverse government experience who has worked in legal positions at the federal, state and local levels. She is also an experienced corporate lawyer who has held legal positions in public and private companies, as well as in a non-profit organization. Celia can personally confirm the valuable legal experience gained from working in the Company`s Office of Counsel while she began her legal career in the Office as assistant counsel to the Company before taking on external legal positions. In 2019, Celia returned to the city to join Mayor Lightfoot`s administration as Mayor`s Attorney and Senior Ethics Advisor. In December 2020, Mayor Lightfoot asked her to return to the legal department as corporate counsel, and in June 2021, she was re-elected to that position by City Council. Ministry lawyers provide legal advice regarding the new Access to Information Act and act as city councillors on FOIA appeals filed with the Attorney General`s Office. You also follow the municipal code in secondary courts and traffic If you have received a notice from the Ministry of Streets and Sanitation and wish to settle your case remotely without appearing in person at the Administrative Hearings Department, please send an email to S&Sticketinquiry@cityofchicago.org.

Provide your name, telephone number, the address of the offences and the number of the administrative tribunal. By accepting a settlement offer, you waive your right to a personal hearing and appeal. Few law firms can match the breadth of our practice. We plead cases in all federal, state and administrative courtrooms in the city. Our transactional lawyers regularly work with colleagues in the ministry`s legislative department on complex transactions involving large public projects. Our service comes in many forms, from supporting municipalities to the effective preparation and enforcement of bylaws, to providing legal advice to municipal services. The department`s lawyers focus on special projects that affect the legal interests of the city Celia Meza is the corporate lawyer. As head of the city`s law department, Celia is responsible for managing more than 400 employees, including approximately 280 lawyers. The Legal Department is responsible for providing legal advice and representation to the City of Chicago`s more than forty client departments, the Mayor, boards of directors, commissioners and city council. The ministry deals with labour disputes, misdemeanours, cases of police misconduct, transactional matters, legislative projects and the application of the municipal code.

If your vehicle has been seized and you want to settle the case remotely, send an email to law.vehicleimpound@cityofchicago.org. If you have received an ANOV issued by the police and would like to resolve the matter remotely, send an email to law.policetickets@cityofchicago.org. Please provide your full name, phone number, ticket number and date of your hearing. By accepting a settlement offer, you waive your right to a personal hearing and appeal. Every day, the department`s lawyers answer a variety of questions from the mayor`s office, municipal departments, aldermen and other members of the legal department. Topics covered include substantive and procedural issues as well as explanations and clarifications of laws that have already been implemented. The primary role of traffic court prosecutors is to prosecute minor traffic violations issued under the Chicago City Code and the Illinois Vehicle Code that occur within the city limits. There are six courtrooms in the Traffic Court designated to process the more than 200,000 traffic citations filed each year, mostly from the Chicago Police Department. Cases range from routine movement violations to complex accidents that can result in serious bodily injury, death and/or multiple vehicles. Departmental lawyers regularly testify at committee hearings about the legislation they have prepared or analyzed.