Candidate William Keefer Responds To Questions Over Lawyer Status

ORLAND TOWNSHIP, IL — Orland Township Board of Trustees candidate William Keefer is the latest on Orland Residents for Responsible Government's slate to draw scrutiny.

Keefer, 25, has said he is a lawyer, listing it as his occupation in our Patch candidate survey. Although he did graduate from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2020, according to a source at the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, by definition, Keefer is not a lawyer, regardless of his degree.

The source provided that in order to be considered a practicing lawyer in the state of Illinois, one must pass the bar exam, which is given to law school graduates to determine whether they are qualified to practice law in a specific jurisdiction.

Recently, readers asked Patch to look into Keefer's qualifications as a lawyer. Before we could, the candidate's profile on the political committee's website changed. Prior, Keefer's biography stated, "As a lawyer, William is interested in constitutional law ...." Now it reads, "William obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is currently awaiting his bar exam results."

The group has been passing out pamphlets throughout the Orland Township area with the former biography.

Patch found that Keefer is not a licensed attorney in Illinois, according to the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

Orland Township Together, the opposing party vying for votes on April 6, released a statement to Patch about Keefer.

"Once again this week we are learning disturbing new details about a member of Scott Kaspar’s Orland Residents for Responsible Government slate," said Supervisor Candidate Paul O’Grady. "It was bad enough that one of their slate members had been wanted by the police for failing to appear in court on a DUI charge, now we find out that another ORRG candidate has been trying to mislead voters about his professional qualifications. Honesty is everything when it comes to holding elected office. These two individuals have disqualified themselves by their actions and illustrated that Scott Kaspar isn’t capable of running the township if he can’t even put together a full slate of people who follow the law and tell the truth."

On Tuesday, Keefer sent a written statement to Patch calling our information inaccurate.

"My parents taught me the age-old principles that if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, but if you choose to say something, you’d better make sure you’re correct," Keefer said. "... A lawyer is someone who is educated in the law, whether or not they’ve taken or passed the bar exam. An attorney is someone who has taken and passed the bar and is licensed to give legal advice. I have never once held myself out to be an attorney."

The law school graduate called out Supervisor Paul O'Grady in the statement.

"I will not apologize for calling myself a lawyer. I am one, whether or not Paul O’Grady and his sycophants think otherwise ... As an attorney, Paul should understand the difference between those terms. However, he’s not given me any reason to believe he’s an intelligent, forward-looking, or even honest person."

Keefer isn't ORRG's first candidate to come under fire. Lora Kreczmer, another trustee candidate running with the slate, posted bond March 9 after reports revealed she had an outstanding arrest warrant for three charges stemming from a car accident in August 2017.

ORRG is backed by township supervisor candidate Scott R. Kaspar, who serves on the Orland Park Police Pension Fund Board and the Orland Park Ethics Commission, according to the group's website. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, who is also running for re-election, has endorsed the slate.

The Consolidated Elections are just weeks away. Learn more about the slates running for Orland Township, below.

Related:

Meet The Orland Residents for Responsible Government Slate | Orland Park, IL Patch

Meet The Orland Township Together Party: Candidate Surveys | Tinley Park, IL Patch

Orland Township Candidate Turns Self In On 2-Year-Old Warrant | Tinley Park, IL Patch