According to findings by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission - the arm of the Illinois Supreme Court that investigates complaints against lawyers wrote that Bilal took about $60,000 more than what was reasonable in fees from the families who were desperate to save their homes.
In its finding, the Board wrote that Bilal's "clients were all desperate, experiencing financial difficulties and in danger of losing their homes." Thus, they "agreed to (Bilal's) terms of representation without a full explanation of those terms."
The Board further observed that Bilal "was aware of this fact and knew his clients would agree to pay his fee. However he did not inform his clients on the amount of his fee, and they could not ascertain the amount until the real estate closing." By which time it would have been too late for the clients to object.
Bilal denied all charges and accused the hearing board of barring his expert from testifying, and asserted that the Board was retaliating against him for a federal complaint he had filed against the ARDC in a previous disciplinary case against him.
"It's unbelievable you could do this to someone, take their license for something like this," said Bilal. "This is a bad precedent for all attorneys," he added.
Previously, Bilal was suspended from law practice for 18 months in 2009 for failing to disclose on his application for admission to the bar that he had once been arrested for attempting to solicit sex.
Also in 2009, the ARDC found that Bilal had represented his stepmother in guardianship proceedings for an elderly client, where his stepmother stood to benefit materially from the terms of the documents, and thus worked against the best interests of the elderly client.
