Phillip Jay Zisook

Chicago defamation, libel, slander, privacy, speech and First Amendment lawyer for more than 30 years, Phillip Zisook joined Deutsch, Levy & Engel in 1992. Mr. Zisook's practice also includes trials and appeals involving commercial, employment, copyright and trademark litigation and cases involving contracts, fraud, false advertising, restrictive employment contracts, covenants not to compete and business torts. In media and First Amendment law cases, Mr. Zisook was selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2006 and 2005. Mr. Zisook has represented television networks in copyright and trademark infringement cases involving the piracy of their programming on the internet and has secured temporary, preliminary and permanent injunctions in these cases. In representing a television programmer in a breach of contract case against EchoStar Satellite Company, Mr. Zisook and fellow DLE partners Brian Saucier and Paul Levy won a jury award of more than $2.1 million in damages and attorneys fees. In the same case, we successfully defended EchoStar's $22 million defamation counterclaim. In a defamation jury trial, Mr. Zisook successfully defended a client charged with slander for allegedly making statements accusing an IRS official of extorting kickbacks from Chicago Korean business people. In another Chicago defamation case, Mr. Zisook and partners Paul Levy and Brian Saucier represented Chicago Bear Keith Van Horne against radio personality Mancow Muller, resulting in a settlement of $1.6 million based upon on-air defamatory statements Muller broadcast throughout Chicago. Mr. Zisook has also represented media clients in a First Amendment challenge to a Chicago Ordinance banning alcohol and tobacco billboards, represented media entities in libel and slander cases and has represented physicians, professionals, businesses and labor organizations in libel, slander and privacy cases. In addition, Mr. Zisook has served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois in environmental issues. He was an Adjunct Professor of Appellate Advocacy at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Mr. Zisook has also published several articles regarding defamation and First Amendment Law.