Attorney Steven Miner of Barrington, IL; crook, repeat offender

The state of Illinois presented Steven A. Miner with a law license in 1981

Steven has a history of engaging in frivolous (screwball) conduct. In the past, Screwy Steve (SS) assisted his adult children in suing their mother for emotional damages because of a poorly chosen birthday card and because she purchased a subpar homecoming dress.

The sham lawsuit also claimed that Stevie’s ex-wife intentionally caused the two children emotional distress for offenses that included (a) failing to take their daughter to a car show, and (b) for telling their 7-year-old son to buck his seat belt or she would contact the police.

Recently, the Disciplinary Commission has charged Steven with the following misconduct (Steven Schmadeke, Chicago Tribune)

In one matter, Stevie found it acceptable to write the names of his two children, the same ones that sued their mother over a birthday card into an elderly client’s will. Stevie is also charged with allegedly stealing nearly $500,000 from the client’s estate.

This matter came about from Stevie’s relationship with client Glenn Burren beginning in the 1970s. At one time, Stevie dated Miner’s daughter, and later Mr. Burren dated Stevie’s mother. In 2004, Burren signed a will prepared by Stevie that left 40% of Burren’s estate to Stevie’s two children and the rest to Burren’s three children. Subsequently, Burren singed a power of attorney for Stevie and gave him checks totaling nearly $500,000.

After Burren died in 2007, his three children contested the will filed by Stevie and took the matter to court to recover the $500,000 that had vanished from their father’s estate.

In a lame attempt at levity, Stevie told a Cook County (Chicago) probate judge that he cashed the checks at his bank and then return the cash to Burren, but Judge Susan Coleman wasn’t buying Stevie’s bullshit, saying that he had presented “no independent credible evidence” that he returned the $500,000 to Burren.

Judge Coleman then ordered Stevie to repay the estate nearly $500,000 plus more than $200,000 in interest. Stevie’s frivolous appeal was summarily denied by the Court of Appeals.

As one would suspect, this isn’t Stevie’s 1^st bite at the Attorney Misfit Apple Tree. He previously received a complimentary stayed suspension by the comedians sitting on the Illinois Supreme Court when he was found guilty of forging the names of the children of a client on a property deed and then instructing his compliant wife to notarize it.

All that remains now is to see if the justices on the Illinois Supreme Court will do the right thing this time and permanently disbar Screwy Steve.

As we speak (ca. September 2013), Steven practices his brand of law with the Law Offices of Steven A. Miller at 28 Rolling Hills Drive in Barrington, Illinois.