Steven M. Elrod - Holland & Knight LLP

City of Highland Park Corporation Counsel, Steven M. Elrod, is a partner in the Chicago office of the law firm of Holland & Knight LLP. Holland & Knight is among the top 10 largest law firms in the United States, with more than 1,200 attorneys practicing in 23 offices throughout the country. Mr. Elrod served on Holland & Knight's Board of Directors for two consecutive terms and was the executive partner of the firm's Chicago office. He currently serves as the chairman of Holland & Knight's National Land Use and Government Team.

Mr. Elrod was appointed by the City Council as Corporation Counsel of the City of Highland Park in April, 2000.

Mr. Elrod represents private and public sector clients on a broad range of development, zoning, and land use matters. He has extensive experience in the litigation of land use issues, including eminent domain; development impact fees; procedural and substantive due process; and the First Amendment. Recently, Mr. Elrod successfully argued a religious land use case before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

He was nominated by his peers, and selected by the Network of Leading American Attorneys, as a Leading Illinois Attorney in the Commercial Real Estate and Government Law practice areas. He was recently selected to be on the list of Best Lawyers in America for 2005-2010.

An active member of the Chicago Bar Association, Mr. Elrod was elected to the Board of Governors and has also served as Chairman of the Association's Local Government Committee. Mr. Elrod is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Decalogue Society, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the International City Management Association, and the American Planning Association.

Mr. Elrod also serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, a not-for-profit organization providing law related education to school-aged children.

Recent speaking engagement topics include:

• Land Use Hot Topics, American Bar Association, 2010
• Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Real Estate Conference Chairman, 2008
• CLE International, Land Use Conference Chairman, 2008
• RLUIPA and Zoning of Religious Institutions, American Planning Association, Chicago Chapter, February, 2005
• National Symposium on Racial Profiling, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Rosemont, IL, May, 2005.
• Current Trends in Land Use and Zoning, National College of District Attorneys, Public Sector Legal Practice Seminar, Los Angeles, CA, November, 2003.
• Smart Growth and Government Regulation, ICSC, Chicago, IL November, 2003.
• Regulatory Takings, ALI-ABA, Chicago, IL, October, 2002.

Recent articles and publications include:

• Zoning Glossary - Land Use Law, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2010
• The Law of Eminent Domain, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2007
• Vested Rights: Debate Fodder, Illinois Real Estate Journal, 2006
• Developer Rights in Illinois: The "Vested Right" Doctrine, Real Estate, Newsletter - 3rd Quarter, 2005

Mr. Elrod received his Bachelors degree, magna cum laude, from Tulane University in 1979 and his Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1982. He resides with his wife, Donna, and two children, Elizabeth and Daniel, in Highland Park.