Lawyer Yet To Invoice Hinsdale D86 After 10 Months Of Work

HINSDALE, IL – Ten months ago, the Hinsdale High School District 86 board hired a lawyer to handle its legal battle with its former law firm.

The attorney, Gary Grasso, also Burr Ridge's mayor, hasn't submitted an invoice yet.

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But he has certainly worked in the dispute with the Chicago-based Robbins Schwartz law firm. That includes filing a counterlawsuit, among other documents, and appearing in court. His fee is $500 an hour.

In an interview Tuesday, Grasso said he would wait to file an invoice until "we have an acceptable pleading on file first."

Whatever the case, he said his bill would be relatively modest compared to the work he has done.

"This is my local school district where I sent my six children and where they got excellent educations," said Grasso, who is running as a Republican for DuPage County Board chair.

In fall 2024, Robbins terminated its relationship with the district after about 16 months of service.

In a letter to officials, the firm said the district was "unreasonably difficult" to serve. This occurred while the firm was on track to make $1 million in a year, an unusually large amount from one district.

Last year, Robbins sued the district, alleging it was owed $228,000 in legal bills.

In April, the district countersued. It claimed Robbins gave bad advice in the ouster of Superintendent Tammy Prentiss in 2023.

In its pleading, the district maintained that the payout for a settlement with Prentiss amounted to $600,000, plus pension obligations.

Prentiss could have been fired for cause had it received good advice, the district argued, avoiding the settlement costs.

The counterlawsuit overstated the potential damages. Patch filed a public records request with the district and discovered that the payout totaled $276,733, less than half the district's stated amount.

Grasso said the district has corrected the amount in an amended pleading.

In its response, Robbins disputed the district's claims about bad advice.

Among Robbins' clients is Hinsdale School District 181.