Areas of Practice
Bar Admissions
- Illinois, 1971
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1971
- Federal Trial Bar, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 1975
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1975
Education
University of Chicago, J.D.
Northwestern University, B.A., summa cum laude
- Phi Beta Kappa
- Department Honors (Philosophy)
Bruce L. Goldsmith concentrates his practice in real estate development and land use planning; acquisition of large real estate investments; building construction issues; counseling of closely held family businesses, including business acquisitions, succession planning, and employment issues. In addition, he has handled a variety of litigation matters, including real estate, commercial and municipal litigation. Mr. Goldsmith has represented family businesses with sales from several million dollars to over one hundred million dollars.
Experience
Mr. Goldsmith spent ten years in various public service practices, lastly as a supervising attorney at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. During that time he handled major federal litigation involving public housing tenants, migrant farm workers and immigrants. He handled a number of cases in federal court involving employment issues, housing conditions, OSHA violations, Fair Labor Standards Act issues, David-Bacon Act, and immigration law matters. He successfully argued the case of Silva v. Bell in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, a hemisphere wide class action case involving more than 300,000 class members seeking rights to visas. In 1981, Mr. Goldsmith joined his father's firm of Goldsmith, Thelin, Dickson, and Brown where he engaged in a broad ranged general practice. He concentrates his practice in the following areas:
Real Estate Acquisition, Sales and Development
- Extensive experience with annexation of large parcels; successful resolution of zoning/rezoning to residential, ORI, or commercial classifications for major developments
- Sale and acquisition of vacant land and residential/commercial land investment projects
General Corporate Representation
- As a business counselor to closely held family businesses, assistance in business formation, growth planning and general business advice
- Instrumental in a number of succession planning initiatives, including integrating estate plans with succession plans and the establishment of real estate partnerships for business real estate ventures
Employment Law
- Defense of numerous individual charges at EEOC and Illinois Department of Human Rights regarding Age and Sex Discrimination and ADA issues
- Counseling business clients on employment terminations
- Covenants not to compete; drafting and enforcement
Financial Law
- Industrial revenue bond financing for corporate clients and a not-for-profit blood center
- Revenue bond financing for Aurora Civic Center Authority ($11.5 million parking garage)
- Credit facilities for variety of corporate clients
- Bank counsel and credit facilities for banking clients
Litigation Law
- Commercial Litigation
- Suits against municipalities to enforce business and zoning rights
- Defense of condemnation actions
- Shareholder and related commercial litigation
- Probate issues
- Municipal and not for profit corporations.
Other Representations
- General Counsel to Aurora Civic Center Authority
Seminars & Speeches
- April 19, 2012
- December 9, 2010
News
- September 18, 2018
- Session Will Provide Practical Tips on Title Insurance, Real Estate Litigation, Annexation and ZoningMarch 7, 2014
- Helps Clients—from Automotive to Consumer Goods, Security Alarms to Financial Services—Earn Important Victories in Key JurisdictionsSeptember 16, 2013
- Decision in Illinois Fire Alarm Monitoring Case Seen as “Significant” for IndustryAugust 12, 2013
Alerts
- January 31, 2017
- December 2011
- February 2011
Press Releases
- Secures a $2.13 million attorneys’ fee award for client Alarm Detection Systems, Inc.February 19, 2015
- Dykema strategically proves that a fire protection district cannot monopolize the industry and prevent fire alarm monitoring services from doing businessAugust 1, 2013
Memberships & Involvement
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Kane County Association, Past General Counsel
Community/Civic Activities
- Mercy Center Hospital Advisory Committee, Past Member
- Mental Health and Mental Retardation Inc., Past Board Member
- Foundation for the West Aurora Schools, Founder and Past Board Member
- Aurora Foundation, Past Board Member
- Temple B'nai Israel, Past Board Member and Officer
- Aurora Jewish Renewal Congregation - Founding Member
Awards & Recognition
Named an Illinois Leading Lawyer in the area of Closely & Privately Held Business, Land Use, Zoning & Condemnation and Real Estate: Commercial by the Leading Lawyers Network, 2004-2018. Law Bulletin Publishing Company
Named among the Top 10 Leading Real Estate-Related Lawyers in Suburban Chicago by the Leading Lawyers Network, 2019
Named an Illinois Super Lawyer for Land Use/Zoning, Real Estate and Closely Held Business by Law & Politics, 2007
Named a Super Lawyer for Land Use/Zoning by Chicago Magazine, 2008
Recipient of an AV® Preeminent™ Rating by Martindale-Hubbell
Latin American Bar Association Illinois Migrant Council, Man of the Year, 1978
Illinois Migrant Council, State of Illinois Merit Award, 1977