Thomas E. Leiter Thomas E. Leiter is the Senior Partner in the law firm. He was born October 7, 1944 and is a graduate of Northwestern University (B.S. 1966) and University of Illinois (J.D. 1969). Mr. Leiter has been practicing law for thirty-six years and has been admitted to the Federal Bar of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Seventh Circuit) and U. S. District Courts for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of Illinois. He is admitted to the Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Peoria County, Illinois State and American Bar Associations.
Areas of concentration include both litigation and transactional work. He has one of the most successful trial records in Peoria County, having obtained several multi-million dollar verdicts. His trial practice is balanced with substantial experience in complex real estate transactions including representation of developers, land use and development consulting, including land subdivisions, condominium development, zero lot line developments, townhouse developments, air rights developments, commercial leasing and all matters relating to real estate development and securitization of real estate entities. He is also licensed by the State of Illinois as a Realtor Continuing Education Instructor.
Active in Peoria, Mr. Leiter participates in local historical preservation and is a past President of the Peoria Historical Society. He is active in numerous public, charitable and business organizations.
Samuel B. Zabek
Samuel B. Zabek joined The Leiter Group in 2004. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Finance from the University of Arizona in 1998 and his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago. While at Loyola, he was on the Dean’s List and earned a certificate in Health Law, one of the top five health law programs in the country.
Mr. Zabek was granted a fellowship from the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies at Loyola. In conjunction with the fellowship, he attended many conferences and wrote articles with regard to Antitrust issues and consumer fraud. While at Loyola, he clerked at the Federal Trade Commission and a small consumer fraud firm. His experience at the FTC and the small firm furthered his interest and experience in Antitrust and consumer fraud matters.
Mr. Zabek is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Peoria County Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
Before joining the Leiter Group, Mr. Zabek was employed by the State’s Attorneys Office in Peoria County as an Assistant State’s Attorney. In the nineteen months he worked at the State’s Attorneys Office, he gained a wealth of trial experience, both civil and criminal. Mr. Zabek prosecuted numerous felony and misdemeanor cases on a daily basis. Additionally, while working as a juvenile assistant, he provided representation to children in abusive environments.
Mr. Zabek’s practice is focused primarily on litigation, with a concentration in the area of consumer fraud and related subjects.
