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Wannabe Lawyer

Staff at the Skokie courthouse became suspicious of Malik’s behavior during a hearing in December and court officials soon realized he didn’t have a license to practice law.

By LIFS February 12, 2011 at 12:52 PM
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A Skokie, Ill., resident with no legal training but a history of petty crimes and a burglary conviction is charged with impersonating a lawyer and representing clients for almost five years in Cook County courts.

The wannabe lawyer, Tahir Malik, 47, reportedly represented 60 people in traffic, foreclosure and minor criminal cases.

 
“The audacity of this, the breadth of it, is amazing,” Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart told the Skokie Patch. “Here’s a guy that spent time in the penitentiary and is now walking into a courtroom, into the lion’s den, and passing himself as a lawyer. He must have been a good actor.”

Staff at the Skokie courthouse became suspicious of Malik’s behavior during a hearing in December and court officials soon realized he didn’t have a license to practice law.

Malik charged $500 to $4,500 from clients. “No one suspected anything for years because he did everything right — except obtain a law degree,” Dart said.

 

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Odds & Ends | Magazine | February 2011

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