Sheila Prendergast focuses her practice on complex civil litigation. She has worked on significant matters involving contract disputes, business torts, products liability, tax controversies, securities, and healthcare fraud. Sheila has a broad range of experience representing clients in all aspects of federal and state court litigation, including pre-filing investigation and case assessment, fact and expert discovery, legal research, motion practice, trial preparation, and appeals.
Sheila is also committed to providing pro bono legal services, including defending a non-profit institution in a building code and historic preservation dispute, second-chairing an evidentiary hearing for a federal habeas corpus petition, writing appellate briefs for both state and federal post-conviction appeals, and writing an amicus brief related to immigration law on behalf of a non-profit entity. Additionally, Sheila volunteers with Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago’s (CRFC) Lawyers in the Classroom program.
Previously, Sheila served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable William J. Bauer of the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She also served as a legal intern in the Illinois Supreme Court, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Federal Defender Program and the St. Joseph County Probate Court.
While in law school, Sheila was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of College and University Law and a member of the Notre Dame Law School Trial Team. She received the Edward J. Barrett Award for excellence in trial advocacy at Notre Dame Law School and won the 2013 American Association for Justice (AAJ) National Trial Team Competition Championship. Prior to law school, Sheila taught high school English in Washington, DC, as a member of Teach for America.
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