Paul Porvaznik

Partner and Head of Litigation - Bielski Chapman, Ltd.

Greater Chicago Area

About

I represent businesses and individuals in complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts, arbitration, and mediation. My main practice areas include (1) breach of contract and business divorces (shareholder and LLC member disputes), (2) collections and post-judgment enforcement, (3) commercial evictions and foreclosures, and (4) mechanics lien litigation My representative business clients operate mainly in the real estate (general contractors, subcontractors, property owners and managers, restoration companies, developers) and financial services industries. REPRESENTATIVE TRIAL AND ARBITRATION EXPERIENCE (All first-chair) - Successful representation of fire and water restoration company in dispute against optic lense manufacturer. Prevailed on breach of contract claim and defeated manufacturer's counterclaims. - Successfully defended plumbing and drywall contractor against developer’s $300k Counterclaim after three-day bench trial in state court; - Successful prosecution of IT vendor’s breach of contract claim against ISP after two-day AAA arbitration hearing; - First-chaired and won breach of contract cases for two multi-national elevator manufacturer clients in separate state court bench trials, one of which involved multi-million dollar slander of title counterclaim; - Won money judgment for property manager client against national mattress retail chain in breach of commercial lease bench trial; - Represented contractor in multi-day mechanics lien trial. Client was awarded nearly $200K in prevailing party attorney fees. - Won compensatory and punitive damages after multi-day jury trial for travel agency plaintiff in defamation, sales commission and conversion case against ex- business partner; - Successfully defended contractor in week-long fraudulent mechanics lien bench trial (the property owner demanded over $2MM damages in closing argument); - Successfully defended IT vendor in data-hostage case. Successfully defeated three separate TRO petitions. - Through post-judgment efforts, have recovered over large sums for clients in multiple cases where the judgment debtor (corporate and individual) claimed to have no assets. - Recovered 90% of judgment award for client after registering judgment in another jurisdiction, liening and instituting foreclosure proceedings against debtor-owned real estate in that state. Other: Arbitrator - Cook County Commercial Calendar, Arbitration Program Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee - 2017-2018 Author, IICLE Forcible Entry and Detainee Quickguide (2014, 2023)

Experience

  • Contributing Author - Forcible Entry and Detainer QuickGuide at Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education - (IICLE)
    Mar 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 4 mos

  • Bielski Chapman, Ltd. (6 yrs 6 mos)
    • Partner and Head of Litigation
      Dec 2021 - Present · 4 yrs 7 mos

    • Litigation Attorney
      Jan 2020 - Dec 2021 · 2 yrs

  • Contributing Writer - Commercial Litigation at Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
    Jan 2014 - Present · 12 yrs 6 mos

  • Commercial Litigator at Kanaris, Stubenvoll & Heiss, P.C.
    Nov 2017 - Dec 2019 · 2 yrs 2 mos

  • Attorney at Davis McGrath, LLC
    Jun 2015 - Nov 2017 · 2 yrs 6 mos

    Commercial Litigation Attorney. Handle all types of business disputes including breach of contract, collections, mechanics lien, landlord-tenant litigation, employment disputes.