Ed Genson

Edward M. Genson (born June 30, 1941) is a Chicago attorney who has represented high profile defendants such as former Republic Windows CEO Richard Gillman, musician R. Kelly, newspaper owner Conrad Black, and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.^[1]

Early life

Genson was born June 30, 1941.^[2] He was raised on the West Side of Chicago along with his younger sister, Myrna. He received a B.A. degree from Northwestern University in 1962, and a J.D. from its law school in 1965.^[1]

Blagojevich case

He was hired by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich after the Governor's arrest on corruption charges on December 9, 2008^[3] and represented him at the impeachment hearings in the Illinois House of Representatives.

On January 23, 2009, after only a month on the case, Genson announced that he would step down as Blagojevich's lead defense attorney, stating that "I never require a client to do what I say but I do require them to at least listen to what I say."^[4]

Republic Windows & Doors Case

Genson was hired by former Republic Windows CEO Richard Gillman to represent him against the charges brought against him. In a surprise move, the judge set Gillman's bail at $10 million; a significantly higher amount then the Prosecution requested.^[5]

On Saturday September 25, Genson was able to get Gillman's bail cut in half and he was able to post bail.^[6]

Bibliography

Genson has published the following legal articles:^[1]

• "Prosecutorial Courtroom Misconduct in Illinois", Loyola University of Chicago Law Journal, Fall 1987
• "A Guide to Handling Federal Narcotics Forfeiture Cases", Illinois Bar Journal, April 1991
• "Taped Evidence in Criminal Cases: Confronting the Tape Recorder", Litigation Magazine (American Bar Association), Winter 1994

Notes