Christopher D. Willis

Legal Experience:  Mr. Willis concentrates his practice primarily in civil litigation, with an emphasis on the defense of personal injury cases, including automobile accidents, construction, products liability, premises liability and third party claims, focusing particularly on matters raising novel legal issues or unusual factual scenarios. He has arbitrated matters in the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration program and Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist forums.

Prior to joining Busse, Busse & Grassé, P.C., Mr. Willis practiced in the area of commercial litigation in Cook and the surrounding counties, primarily representing small business owners in matters including partnership disputes, commercial lease litigation and contract issues.  Mr. Willis has also handled matters before the City of Chicago Department of Zoning Board of Appeals.  Additionally, while in law school, Mr. Willis spent two years working at one of Chicago’s premiere plaintiff’s personal injury firms, gaining experience on all aspects of multi-million dollar civil litigation from the pre-trial stages, through trial and on appeal.

Professional Memberships:  Mr. Willis is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel.

Education:  Mr. Willis earned his Juris Doctor cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.  While at Loyola, Mr. Willis received the Circle of Advocates Scholarship for demonstrated achievement in trial advocacy. Mr. Willis also earned CALI awards (an honor bestowed for the highest grade in a particular course) in Civil Procedure and Consumer Law. Mr. Willis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Publications:  Mr. Willis authored the article “Comparing Scotch and Bourbon Regulations” in the Consumer Law Newsletter of the Illinois State Bar Association. He also co-authored “Taking Control: Attacking Pleadings Claiming a Violation of a Safety Statute as Prima Facie Evidence of Negligence” in the IDC Quarterly of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel.

Admitted to Practice: Mr. Willis is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.