Burr Ridge Mayor To Battle Ex-Hinsdale D86 Law Firm

HINSDALE, IL – Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso is the lawyer handling Hinsdale High School District 86's litigation with its former law firm.

In mid-December, the school board voted to hire Grasso. The district said Grasso would help the board's main firm, Evergreen Park-based Odelson, Murphey, Frazier & McGrath, and pursue "other legal remedies."

At the time, the district declined to say specifically why it hired Grasso. He is running unopposed in March's Republican primary for DuPage County Board chairman.

Last month, the district informed DuPage County Court that Grasso would replace the Odelson law firm in defending against the lawsuit filed by the Chicago-based Robbins Schwartz firm.

The district's brief states that Grasso's firm specializes in professional liability litigation. Grasso's practice includes handling legal malpractice cases.

In September 2024, Robbins terminated its relationship with the school board, saying the district was "unreasonably difficult" to serve. At that point, the firm was on track to make $1 million a year, an unusually large amount.

Last summer, the firm sued the district over failing to pay $228,000 in legal bills, which board members have questioned.

In a previous story, Patch noted the connections between Grasso and the school board's president, Catherine Greenspon.