Chad James Schmit

Chad focuses on commercial, real estate, construction and employment litigation in state and federal courts.  As an accomplished trial lawyer with extensive litigation experience, he has tried or resolved hundreds of cases, including obtaining a seven figure judgment in a construction defect case, successfully prosecuting and defending numerous landlord-tenant and property related disputes for the owner of a large mixed-use retail and office development that was obtained through foreclosure, which enabled the new owner to sell the property at a significant gain, successfully defending a tenant in a multi-million dollar landlord-tenant dispute, successfully defending a developer in a mechanics’ lien foreclosure action and prevailing on an excessive lien claim and successfully defending employers in wage act lawsuit.  Chad also served on a team that secured a favorable national product liability class action settlement for a global manufacturing company.  In the construction law context, Chad has negotiated numerous construction contracts on behalf of developers, home owners and contractors.  Prior to joining Garfield & Hecht in 1998, Chad practiced law in Chicago.