William N. Krucks, In Memoriam

Partner

The impact and legacy of Bill's remarkable life has a deeply personal and special significance for the Freeborn family. In 1983, Bill together with five of his partners and six staff had the courage and strength of character to break off from a well-established firm and form their own new law firm reflecting their vision of what the practice of law can be. 38 years later, those mere six founding attorneys have created a law firm that now employs nearly 300 people spread across national offices in four states - and the accomplishments of the team, they together originally assembled, with those to follow - have had an impact on people's lives that is too immeasurable to list.

About

About

William "Bill" Krucks was a Freeborn founding Partner and member of the Litigation and Corporate Practice Groups. He passed away on July 23, 2021. His obituary can be found here.

Experience built on long-term client relationships matters. Bill worked with many of his clients for more than 30 years because they knew they could leave the worrying - and the winning - to him. His reputation for winning was due, in no small part, to his devotion to spending at least 2 hours each day reading the latest case opinions and legal publications in order to stay current on the range of business and regulatory challenges his clients regularly faced.

Serving as an efficient and knowledgeable advisor, Bill made sure his clients were aware of the big issues of the day and were well-prepared for what's to come, from understanding the latest cases and legislative and regulatory activity, to employment litigation and pending healthcare reform requirements. Whether they are hiring or firing employees, negotiating business contracts, dealing with employment claims and litigation, or facing various other contentious issues, clients knew that Bill would achieve justice for them, and that he'll do so quickly.

Bill focused on advising and representing management in the full-range of legal issues that impact operating a business in the United States. More specifically, his areas of focus included: Complex Disputes; Employment Litigation; Environmental, Health and Safety; Insurance Coverage and Regulation; Land Use and Zoning; Occupational Diseases and Work Injuries; and Products Liability. 

Bill tried cases in state and federal courts, before federal and state agencies, and in arbitration proceedings. He regularly published legal articles on labor and employment law for journals and newsletters. While in law school, he authored two articles that were published in the Mississippi Law Journal.

Representative Matters

Representative Matters

  • Helped multiple clients compel insurance providers to cover the cost of defense and even offer indemnity in an array of situations where companies have been sued, ranging from IP infringement to interfering with contract rights. Often this has occurred in situations where the client may not have even considered checking their insurance policies to determine if coverage would be provided.

  • Successfully represented a father in Mississippi pro bono case where a mother had died tragically following an elective medical procedure, helping the father regain custody of his three small children in the face of antiquated state laws.

  • Won a discrimination case for the employer that is often cited as a fundamental statement of the law in the 7th Circuit concerning the issue of "pretext" under the McDonnell Douglas burden shifting analysis. In the case of Forrester v. Rauland-Borg Corp., 453 F.3d 416, (7th Cir. 2006), the 7th Circuit declared that a “pretext” is a deliberate falsehood, but “[a]n honest mistake, however dumb, is not, and there is no doubt that it is the real reason it blocks the case at the summary-judgment stage.” The opinion written by the celebrated Hon. Richard A. Posner, and joined by two more of 7th Circuit’s most acclaimed judges Frank H. Easterbrook and Diane P. Wood, concludes that under the burden shifting analysis of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green. 411 U.S. 792 (1973), “the question is never whether the employer was mistaken, cruel, unethical, out of his head, or downright irrational in taking the action for the stated reason, but simply whether the stated reason was his reason, not a good reason, but the true reason.”

  • Helped establish a public employer insurance fund, comprised of about 600 public entities in the State of Illinois, and served as the fund's General Counsel for more than 25 years.

  • Served as General Counsel to a high-tech manufacturer, providing full service support, handling every legal need spanning intellectual property, business litigation, employment, business contracts and corporate governance.

Honors & Awards

Honors & Awards

  • Leading Lawyers - Labor, Employment and Insurance Defense Law
  • Illinois Super Lawyers - 2006 (cited in multiple years)
  • Fellow, American Bar Association Foundation - 2011-present
  • Fellow, College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers
  • Martindale-Hubbell legal ability/ethical standards rating (“A-V”) - Highest possible rating
  • Illinois Leading Lawyers - 2020 (cited in multiple years)

Professional Activities

Professional Activities

  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Mississippi State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association (Judge, 2009-10 National Appellate Advocacy Competition)
  • Defense Research Institute (DRI)
  • International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
  • Lawyers Club of Chicago
  • Arbitrator, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
  • Fellow, College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers
  • Member, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) Advisory Board (2017 - 2021)

Speaking Engagements

  • Panel participant, "Careers in the Tort Trial and Insurance Industry," presented by the ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS), 2014 ABA Midyear Meeting (February 6 – 9, 2014).

Perspectives

Perspectives

News

Insights

Events