William Banks counsels clients on matters relating to land use, zoning, real estate development, real estate tax reduction, litigation strategy, developer incentives and state, county and federal governmental relations and approvals.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Banks was Alderman of the 36th Ward, Chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Zoning, and Chairman of the Mayor’s Zoning Reform Commission which was responsible forupdating and rewriting the City of Chicago Zoning Ordinance. Since the Zoning Reform Commission completed its code overhaul, Bill has been contacted by governments from as far away as Ukraine, which are using Chicago’s new zoning laws as a model for their countries’ land development standards. In 2009, Bill retired from City government after serving 26 years as Alderman.
Prior to his election as Alderman, Mr. Banks served as Chief Research Aide and Legal Counsel to U.S. Congressman Morgan F. Murphy. Mr. Banks later handled over 10,000 cases in his position as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago.
He is the former 36th Ward Democratic Committeeman and former Treasurer of the Cook County Democratic Party.
He has won over 600 awards for civic and professional achievements.