Skokie To Appoint New Corporation Counsel

SKOKIE, IL — The Skokie Village Board will appoint a new Corporation Counsel at Monday night's meeting.

After Michael Lorge announced his retirement as corporation counsel in May, the Village Board began the process of finding his replacement. In total, 37 individuals and seven firms applied for consideration, according to the village.

A village committee, consisting of several officials as well as local lawyers, reviewed the applications and conducted interviews, ultimately narrowing it down to two individuals. Mayor Anne Tennes and Village Manager John Lockerby interviewed the two recommended individuals and decided Skokie would be best served by Steve Elrod from the firm Elrod Friedman LLP.

"The Village Board had an opportunity to meet with Mr. Elrod and the team of other attorneys from the firm that will serve the Village. I should also note that Mr. Elrod has proven to be a valuable resource during the last six months as he served as special counsel to the Village," Tennes said.

Elrod is the co-founding partner of Elrod Friedman LLP and serves as the firm's Managing Partner. He is also a past-president of the Chicago Bar Association and currently serves as the corporation counsel for Highland Park. Additionally, Elrod is the village attorney for Deerfield, Glencoe, Lincolnwood and Northbrook.

His practice focuses on:

• Municipal law
• Public-private partnerships
• Tax incentive and abatement agreements, including tax increment financing (TIF) and special
• service area (SSA) financing
• Annexation, subdivision and development agreements
• Affordable housing programs

Elrod is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he teaches Land Use and Local Government Law.

Elrod and his law firm will represent the Village of Skokie starting Jan. 1, 2026.