Peter Kasdin Obituary

Kasdin, Peter

Peter Kasdin was formidable in the courtroom and fun on the golf course.

A lawyer for 58 years, he gave up a successful corporate law career to open his own law firm to represent victims. He took pride in being there for the little guy. That was the soul of the man.

Peter David Kasdin, 83, died of influenza January 3 at his Lake Forest residence. His service is 2 p.m. Sunday (January 11) at Chicago Jewish Funerals Buffalo Grove Chapel. Shiva on Sunday will immediately follow the service at his son's home in Lake Bluff and will also be observed on Monday and Tuesday. Additional information regarding Shiva is available through Chicago Jewish Funerals.

Acknowledged by his peers as one of the top five litigation lawyers in the state, Peter qualified to serve in courts beyond Illinois, including the United States Supreme Court. His depth of legal knowledge was admired even by his opponents. Peter was a perfectionist and mastered the nitty-gritty finer points of law for each case he handled. Whether it was a personal injury, professional negligence, product liability, or wrongful death case, he left no stone unturned to represent his clients. He knew when to go to trial and when to get the best settlement. Even from his sickbed he was advising fellow lawyers on a case he was handling. An overview of verdicts in his favor is available at www.peterdkasdin.com.

Peter grew up in Newark, NJ, and put himself through Vanderbilt University, Rutgers University, and The University of Tennessee, earning his JD and honored with the Law Review, Order of the Coif. While at Rutgers University, he was a proud member of the Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity. Fresh out of college, he became a professor at the University of Illinois and later one of the youngest managing partners at Arnstein, Gluck, Weitzenfeld & Minow. Early on, what distinguished him was the depth of his preparation, tenacity, and work ethic. He led or was part of the legal team for landmark cases. His reputation spread as a smart, proficient, caring perfectionist with the highest moral and ethical standards of being a lawyer and representing his clients. Peter stood out for his confidence, and he happily demonstrated it. As one opponent said, "He had a smile on him, that devil smile. That would be when you knew he had you."

His corporate litigation career included landmark cases still cited. He brought that same effective counsel to his personal injury clients in his later solo practice. He became a total expert rather than just relying on expert witnesses and counseled younger lawyers to do the same.

Peter grew up as Peter Cohen. His Russian family fled during the revolution and, for protection, changed their name from Kasdin to Cohen. Peter restored the family name. He maintained close ties to childhood friends, especially entertaining them at his Longboat Key, FL, home where he lived part of the year. Peter shared his homes with the dog he didn't want, Ella Poppy. He didn't hesitate to tell people around town, "I know everyone thinks their dog is special, but Ella Poppy really is." His devotion to Ella Poppy didn't diminish his devotion to his family. His family did not suffer from his devotion to his clients. If he was working away from home and one of his children had a special event, Peter would fly in for it and then turn around and fly back to his client. He supported his children and their dreams. He shared his later years with his wife, Noelle.

He supported his clients, too, taking their late-night phone calls or calling a family every birthday of a child he represented. One family called him every year to thank him for what he did for their injured child. There were times he did not charge a client. He respected every penny he earned. He knew a family had been destroyed for him to earn it. If he did lose in court, which was rare, he never charged a client for case expenses. He believed the client had already suffered so much.

Peter liked being just a little bit different. He was easily identified by the cowboy boots and cowboy hats he always wore, even in court. He had a closet full of those, as well as a thousand baseball caps. He polished his boots every night, often over conversations with his children. A natty dresser when the situation called for it, his ensemble always included a light blue shirt, a color he knew suited him. There was much more to him than cowboy boots and hats. That was just on the surface. Going deeper, he was self-assured and delivered on that. He wore a 1970s Timex watch despite being teased for not buying a Piaget or Rolex. Peter's comeback was, "Why? Does it tell different time?" He had possessions he cherished because of a special memory. The old Timex and Peter's battered briefcase held memories for him, as did a scorch on his favorite cowboy hat he continued to wear. He also had a deep affection for old Porsches, especially six-speed manuals, which he admired for their precision, integrity, and refusal to do the work for the driver.

On the golf course he wore the appropriate footwear, not his beloved cowboy boots. Thank goodness, because his golf game led to Twin Orchard Country Club championships when he was younger. Today, his golfing partners try to be gracious about Peter's game. As one said, "He was a solid recreational player." Not deterred by his illness and confident in sharing his expansive knowledge, from his bed Peter was teaching his nurse how to putt.

Survivors include his wife, Noelle Kasdin of Lake Forest and Longboat Key, FL; and the pride of his life, his children and grandchildren: two sons, Chadwel Kasdin (Crystal) of Highland Park and Michael Kasdin (Jennifer) of Lake Bluff; one daughter, Erin Kasdin of Highland Park; six grandchildren, Louis Kasdin and Cooper Kasdin of Highland Park, Kaia Kasdin, Gabriel Kasdin, and Jacob Kasdin of Lake Bluff, and Jude Wallis of Highland Park; and his sister, Carol Ironson of Worcester, MA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in memory of Peter D. Kasdin be made to the Center on Wrongful Convictions–Northwestern Pritzker School of Law or to the Chicagoland Rescue Intervention and Support Program (CRISP).

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