Michael J. Zalewski

Michael's a former member of the Illinois General Assembly, having served as Chairman of the House Revenue and Finance Committee from 2017 to 2023, where helped lead Illinois' successful fiscal comeback. At Taft, Michael helps clients navigate the morass of municipal and county regulatory compliance. He has walked them through the Circuit Court of Cook County, the City of Chicago, the Cook County Department of Administrative Hearings along with other governmental venues. Michael knows the best strategies to accomplish clients’ goals and the people and process to execute those strategies. He also has worked with clients on procurement issues in construction law and has an extensive background counseling small business to make sure they are following procurement rules and regulations. Michael was born and raised on the southwest side of Chicago. He headed to Champaign for the University of Illinois and returned to Chicago for his J.D. at the John Marshall Law School. He began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He knows the value of the right priorities. After all, he’s a lawyer, local regulation expert, state lawmaker, and dedicated father and husband, where his caseload included drug offenses, Class A misdemeanors and DUI cases. As a lawmaker, Michael has authored and led passage of a number of important laws, including Illinois' first Racketeering statute, comprehensive rideshare law, and the creation of an Independent Tax Tribunal to help repair the state’s sagging image with the business community, and Illinois' Sports Wagering Act. Michael lives in west suburban Riverside with his wife Carrie and four children, Reese, Henry, Ellamae, and Cecilia.