Thomas E. Brannigan
Partner

After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1961, Thomas E.
Brannigan earned his law degree from the Notre Dame Law School in 1963.
During the Viet Nam War he was a captain in the U.S. Army and staff judge
advocate of the 1st Armored Division.

In 1967 he joined the Illinois Attorney General's Office, where he represented
various state officers in litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts,
the Illinois Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. He argued and won
an important U.S. Supreme Court case for the state [Boyle v. Landry, 401 U.S. 77
(1977)], which forbids federal courts from issuing injunctions against ongoing state
criminal prosecutions.

He worked a few years in the Cook County State Attorney's Office, where the
experience he gained in local and state taxation matters led to a prominent career
in private practice. During his distinguished legal career, Mr. Brannigan has
represented dozens of particularly well-known clients, including major retailers,
manufacturing, utility and real estate companies. He won a landmark Illinois Supreme
Court case [Client Follow-up Co. v. Hynes, 390 N.E.2d 847 (1979)], which abolished
the personal property tax in Illinois.

Mr. Brannigan argued a precedent setting case in the Illinois Supreme Court which expanded the tax exemption of mixed-use property where no part of the property is used exclusively for tax-exempt purposes. Streeterville Corporation v. Department of Revenue, 714 N.E.2d 497(1999). As a widely recognized expert in the field of real estate taxation, he has written and spoken in seminars on real estate taxation sponsored by organizations such as the International Association of Assessing Officers, the Institute for Professionals in Taxation, the Civic Federation, the Building Owners and Managers Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Chicago Tax Club. His articles on real estate tax matters have appeared in various topical law publications, including: Tax Trends, Illinois State Bar Association and Legal Briefs, Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.