State Years

Illinois - IL 27 years

Indiana - IN 26 years
Licensed for 27 years

State IL

Acquired 1995

Status
Active and Authorized to Practice Law No misconduct found
Licensed for 26 years

State IN

Acquired 1997

Status
Inactive In Good Standing No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

William Wytte Phillip Atkins

Criminal defense Attorney at Peoria, IL

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Non-compete made easy

Great lawyer

About William

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Practice areas

I WILL HELP YOU THROUGH EVERY STAGE OF A COURT PROCEEDING AND GET THE BEST RESULT POSSIBLE!

I prosecuted criminal cases and defended civil lawsuits against County government for twenty years and now I am bringing that experience to my private practice. I handle a wide variety of legal matters affecting individuals, including employment law, criminal defense, DUIs, and personal injuries as well as most other types of litigation.

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Contact William

Johnson, Bunce & Noble, PC

(309) 306-7115 Office

Executive Offices - Parkway Plaza

7800 N. Sommer St. - Suite 425

Peoria, IL, 61615-1994

peorialawyers.com

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Reviews

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3.9 / 5.0

7 customer reviews

5 Star

71%

4 Star

3 Star

2 Star

1 Star

29%

Posted by Elizabeth | May 6, 2017

Non-compete made easy

As a young business owner, this was my first experience with having an attorney draw up a non-compete contract for one of my employees. Bill made the experience easy and it was much more affordable than I expected it to be. I feel comfortable knowing that my business is protected because I had this contract completed for my business.

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Posted by Shanice | April 24, 2017

Great lawyer

Bill represented me in my case. And he did a great job. He was very professional and always answered any questions i had. He faught hard for me and got my case dropped. He is definitely the lawyer to go to!

Posted by Syd | November 17, 2020

Very good Attorney

William is a no nonsense attorney. Don't waste his time and he won't waste yours. He provided excellent representation for my case. Being very unfamiliar with the judicial system, I was absolutely mortified with what I was facing. He kept all my expectations realistic. Even before I provided him with my retainer, he told me flat out what could go right or wrong in my case. I called multiple attorneys before I called William and it just felt right with him. Due to my schedule, he got me an extension on my court date. His expierience as a former district attorney also gives his client an advantage. His fees are also competitive. Overall, I would highly recommend him. Don't fk up, but if you do, go with William.

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Posted by Tim | June 5, 2016

Child Custody & Name Change

I hired Bill to take care of continuing work on my existing case involving my legal rights to my son. Bill fought very hard for me and was very knowledgeable in his approach and always kept me informed. I was granted full legal custody in February and in June I was finally granted the rights to have my sons last name legally changed to mine. Bill is passionate about fathers rights in Illinois. My son and I couldn't be happier with all the hard work Bill did. His costs were reasonable also compared to others I had gotten quotes from. If you are looking for somebody to be a strong advocate for you and your rights, I couldn't recommend anyone better than him. Thank you so much Bill for all that you have done for my family.

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Posted by Dan | September 26, 2015

William Atkins

I have worked with Bill Atkins during the past five years where he worked for Peoria County, Illinois. Bill has always provided excellent advice and was always willing to assist in our agency when needed. He is very professional and dedicated to his clients. I have found Bill to be very responsive.

Posted by anonymous | August 29, 2023

Lousy and has no experience what so ever in wrongful termination

I called him and told him my case he proceeded to tell me that I don't have a case and the I should look elsewhere didn't even try to answer my questions complete waste of time

Response from William Atkins August 31, 2023

I can't contact you directly since you neglected to tell me who you are in this post, but I would like to discuss your issue further in a confidential manner rather than putting your private information on this public posting. If you are interested in having that type of discussion, please contact me at 309-691-9650. One of the most difficult tasks for every attorney is to choose the cases he or she will take. Sometimes the initial facts related make clear to me that I am not the right attorney for that particular case. Unfortunately, some of those cases that I can't take are also outside of the scope of the attorneys whose work I know well enough to be willing to recommend, which appears to have been the case here.

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Posted by anonymous | December 5, 2022

Failure of employer to make accommodations for disability

Mr. Atkins, when what the chance of receiving compensation, stated 50%. There were two stages in the process. (1) negotiation between the parties where they would make offers. The other side was not made to make an offer. Although, the other side indicated an amount they would offer, I was not informed of this and was not part of a process that certainly involved my interests. (2) I was told to communicate through an assistant to Mr. Atkins, who was possibly lax in reporting my responses to questions from Mr. Atkins. As a result, as apparently deadlines approached, we were missing or about to miss them due to poor communication within his office. As a result, Mr. Atkins dropped my case with no consultation with me and no considerations for the needs I had. He stated that the case was only worth $10K to $20K and therefore not worth his time. Apparently he is a wealthy man, for me, however, 2/3s of either amount is significant.

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Response from William Atkins December 6, 2022

I appreciate you letting me know of your dissatisfaction and I will certainly do what I can to resolve this matter. Please contact me directly at [email protected] or 309-691-9650 and I will discuss the matter in detail with you and see if there is something that can be done. I haven't "dropped" any cases like you describe so I suspect this situation is merely a misunderstanding.

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Cost

Resume

AVVO RATING 8.2 (Excellent)

Work Experience

Attorney
Johnson, Bunce & Noble, PC
2015 - Present

Assistant Public Defender
Peoria County Public Defender
2015 - 2020

Chief Civil Assistant State's Attorney
Peoria County State's Attorney Office
2004 - 2015

Chief Civil Assistant State's Attorney
Tazewell County State's Attorney
1996 - 2004

Assistant State's Attorney
Livingston County State's Attorney
1995 - 1996

View all work experience

Education

Loyola University Chicago School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
1995

Ball State University
BS - Bachelor of Science
1992

Legal Cases

People v. Clemens
The case was dismissed by the State

People v. Crowder
The case was dismissed by the State

People v. Williams
The case was dismissed by the State

View all legal cases

Associations

Illinois State Bar Association
Assembly Member
2019 - Present

Federal Bar Association
Member
2017 - Present

Peoria County Bar Association
Member
2015 - Present

Illinois State Bar Association
Member
2015 - Present

Abraham Lincoln Court
Member
2015 - Present

American Inns of Court
Member
2013 - 2015

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Languages Spoken

English

Honors and Awards

10 Best Attorneys - Client Satisfaction
American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys
2017

Publications

The Bar Examiner
The Grass is Always Greener: A Defense of the American Legal Education System
1994

Speaking Engagements

Lecturer for Criminal Justice Department
Criminal Law
2022

UCCI Academy
State's Attorneys and County Boards
2019

Training for new State's Attorneys
Land Use Regulations for State's Attorneys
2017

Government & Public Interest Seminar
Changes to the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute
2016

Abraham Lincoln Court First Meeting
What Every Attorney Should Know About Election Law
2015

2014 Government & Public Interest Seminar
Ethics
2014

Direct and Cross Examination
Trial Practice
2013

Government Civil Practice
Ethics
2013

2012 Fall Training Conference
Government Purchasing Law
2012

e-Government Seminar
Openness v. Privacy
2009

Public Records and Open Meetings
Freedom of Information Act
2008

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Attorney endorsements

Received (6)

Given (13)

Endorse William

Christopher Mccall

Government Attorney | Apr 04
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Learned Jurist and a good person as well."

Dick Williams

Government Attorney | Apr 04
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Bill has been an effective attorney for the States Attorney's office for as long as I have been an attorney. He is now bringing his expertise to private practice and will be a valuable advocate for his clients."

Leonard Boyer

Family Attorney | Mar 19
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Mr. Atkins is a very knowledgeable and effective advocate for his clients."

Robert Hills

Criminal defense Attorney | Feb 29
Relationship: Worked together on matter

"Bill and I recently tried a criminal case together and obtained a not guilty verdict for our client. During the course of this case, Bill demonstrated top-notch ability and judgment as a trial attorney. I routinely refer employment cases to Bill as well due to his knowledge of the law. I highly recommend Bill to anyone with a civil or criminal lawsuit."