UPDATE: Skokie Man Busted for Impersonating a Lawyer
Authorities said veteran criminal handled cases for 5 years, never attended law school.
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Editor's note: Be sure to read our follow up by clicking here.
With a background in burglary and shoplifting, Tahir Malik realized he was on the wrong side of the law. So, the 47-year-old decided to be a lawyer, but skipped the whole law school thing.
According to a statement released by the Cook County Sheriff's Department today,the Skokie resident is charged with two counts of false impersonation of a lawyer, a felony in Illinois. He has been held at the county jail since Dec. 17 on an earlier contempt of court and false impersonation charge.
His scheme took a bad turn when staff at the Skokie courthouse grew suspicious of Malik's behavior during a hearing about three weeks ago. When questioned about his credentials, court officials realized that Malik wasn't licensed to practice law. The wannabe lawyer was also working on more than 60 cases at the time, according to the Sheriff's Department.
"The audacity of this, the breadth of it, is amazing," Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart told 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."
Depending on the case, Malik charged between $500 and $4,500 and only accepted cash, according to officials. Malik handled traffic cases, mortgage foreclosures and other low-level criminal cases in the Skokie, Bridgeview and Daley Center courts.
Dart said the Sheriff's Department has gotten a hold of at least 10 clients that Malik represented. He added that his task force suspected that Malik had been impersonating a lawyer for about five years.
"Many of his clients were very surprised that [Malik wasn't a lawyer,]" Dart said. "Many people were happy with the results."
It is currently unclear whether Malik's former clients could claim a mistrial or ask for their case to be reopened. Malik mainly posed as a traffic lawyer for simple violations, Dart said.
"Obviously, we don't know the breadth of this, the other part of it is what went on with the cases," Dart said. "Frankly, I think a judge would be more lenient on someone who was just handling traffic cases where nobody was seriously hurt by [Malik's] actions."
Dart, a former prosecutor, said he had never heard of anything similar.
“No one suspected anything for years because he did everything right – except obtain a law degree,” Dart said. “From his own arrest history, he was familiar enough with the court system to make certain motions and file certain documents with the court. There is no question that dozens of people from all over Cook County were misled by this guy.”
Bond was set at $250,000 on Friday and Malik will appear in court on the false impersonation charges on Jan. 28.
Check soon for an update from Skokie Patch.
Skokie Mike
7:56 pm on Friday, January 7, 2011
Is he going to represent himself? bahahahahahahahaha!
TheManOfTheHour
12:05 pm on Sunday, January 9, 2011
Someone should see the talent in this guy, let him go for a ponzi scheme next time.
deborah payne
1:42 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Seems to me maybe i should of hired this guy instead of my lousy lawyer!!!
Jesus
2:25 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
What tripped him up happened in December when the Judge realized that he was telling the truth. Everyone knows a real lawyer just doesn't do that.
Diane Jenkinss
3:00 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Where does it say in the lawbooks you have to go to college to become a lawyer? Some people cannot afford to go to school and can be smart enough to do it on there own as this guy did and probably was better than schooled lawyers.
ALLEN
4:41 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
still have to take and pass the bar in this state
Mack Holman
3:14 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Diane- Every state in the Union requires getting a degree from an approved law school before taking the bar, except for California, where you are allowed to take the bar exam without a college degree. It makes sense. People are literally putting their lives and fortunes in an attorney's hands, and they need protection from just this sort of person
scootrbum
4:29 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Yet with all the schooling and exams, most lawyers aren't worth a bucket of warm spit.
This guy represented his clients well enough to get away with it for at least 5 years and garner new ones.
ALLEN
4:43 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
they would only need to be protected if he were loosing case now wouldn't they
colleen
4:04 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I don't see anything wrong doing this. It is just like asking a college student that is studying law
to help you with your case.The student is going to charge you for all the work he/she has to do
for you. According to law you can hire anybody to help you with any kind of law case you
have. The real reason this was brought up is because he probably stood up for one of his
clients rights , and threatened the judge with going to the bar association if his client
wasn't treated fairly.
scootrbum
4:31 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
THE LEGAL SYSTEM IS EMBARRASSED! That's why he's in jail with 250K bail. Home intruders and people that commit physical violence get less bail.
Bob
4:11 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
MANY LAWYERS IMPERSONATE LAWYERS!
perriwinkle
4:30 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Ha! SO right!!!
ALLEN
4:44 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
ain't it so lol
Ann
4:16 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I could use him in Calif.with the results you get here and the money the Calif. lawyers obtain is a bit too much.I would be pleased that his stint in jail ,he is a great example for Illinois rehab for inmates.The man studied law in jail and was not commiting a crime.
scootrbum
4:25 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
They are just pissed because it only goes to show that the lawyers and therefore the judges, just ain't all that smart after all. Any one that gets in the door is given the good old boy pass and help.
Plus they didn't figure it out right away it took a long time, at least 5 years.
What does that say about our legal system. I'm sure he's not the only one in the country.
Sonja
4:32 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
LMAO, SO FUNNY, WHAT THE HECK, ATTORNIES ARE A DIME A DOZEN, MOST AREN'T ANY DIFFERENT THEN THIS GUY AS FAR AS MAKING MONIES IS ALL MOST OF THEM ARE USUALLY JUST AFTER INSTEAD OF ACTURALLY DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR THE CLIENT. I KNOW A WOMAN THAT WENT TO COLLEGE "ON OUR DIME" KEPT FAILING THE FINAL TEST BEFORE THE BAR, KEPT GOING TO COLLEGE, DATED THE PROFESSORS, FINALLY AFTER APPROX TEN YRS OR LONGER, THEY PASSED HER. NO WAY WOULD I EVER HAVE HER AS AN ATTORNEY.
ALLEN
4:40 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
had he shot some one or had he raped a child he would have been under 2,500.00 bond and probably released on his own recognasince.
kenneth
5:07 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Granted the guy is somewhat of a genius, the kind of person that can do very well in a certain field that is small enough so that it becomes routine, as the news said he did small (routine) stuff
that has a 1,2,3, procedure.
California Attorney
6:07 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Practicing law is not that difficult, especially when an attorney limits his practice to one or two areas of law.
Only bits and peices of the constitutional law, common law torts, criminal procedure, contracts, and other law school subjects come up in the real world. The best attorneys have real world experience, like peace officers who become criminal attorneys, engineers who become patent lawyers, or accountants who become tax attorneys.
The real felony should be charging 400.00 an hour to handle a divorce or 2,000.00 to draft a will.
Licensed Attorney
Roger The Builder
6:27 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Well, I'd like to know why they call it PRACTICING law (and MEDICINE for that matter).
Do you want to fly on a jet that the mechanics practice on? I am a contractor and I wouldn't
be able to get a job if I told my clients I was "practicing" on their homes.
Billy
6:58 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I think what the "real" problem is, is that this guy actually had clients who obviously were beating his door down. This is why all the licensed attorneys are pissed about it. He had clients, and they didn't.......... Take this as insight... Stop Screwing us out of our hard earned money.. You drop your rates, and do a good defense, and you might have 60 clients wanting you to represent them....