Richard Michael Kates

There are a few times in my life where hindsight was 20-20. Looking back, one of the biggest mistakes I made was not having Dick Kates defend me in a very complicated white-collar criminal case. Dick had defended my closed down school against a class-action brought on by students, but perpetrated by ...greedy attorneys. Dick was quick to evaluate our situation and formulated a defense. Back in the 1990s, Dick was a bit gruff, not computer friendly or the least bit pretentious, but he worked fervently on our case for three years, getting it dismissed in federal court. He also came to our rescue when we were indicted on 32 counts by the federal government. Seeing the United States of America vs. little guy and knowing that the government wins over 95% of its cases will put the fear of God into you. Kates jumped right in immediately upon our request calling US Attorneys and federal judges. He knew for a fact that we were innocent and was fervent in his approach filing motion after motion without the use of computer technology. Unfortunately, I believed we needed the absolute best, most sophisticated, renowned litigator and law firm. Dick, the gentleman that he is bowed out, recommending an attorney who was named one of the nation's top 10 litigators by the National Law Journal. He was elected as a fellow and to the boards of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Tax Counsel and the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. He defended the likes of Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, mobster Allen Dorfman, Operation Greylord Judge John Reynolds. We spent and hocked and worked for and traded everything we could to get this attorney and his law firm to defend us. Unfortunately, like I said before it was the wrong decision, and I lost everything – my credibility, my wife, millions of dollars, my homes boats cars. I was sentenced to jail for 53 months and have been paying restitution that totals almost $2 million ever since. My point is if you are looking for a great attorney, look beyond the gruff and technical abilities, look for character, knowledge, someone who's not afraid to work or stand up for you, someone who will fight in the trenches, be loyal to your cause much more than chasing the Almighty Buck. That's Attorney Dick Kates. (I wonder if I ever said thank you)