Edward Marvin Genson (June 30, 1941 – April 14, 2020) was an American attorney who represented high-profile defendants such as former Republic Windows CEO Richard Gillman, musician

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

, newspaper owner

Conrad Black Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour (born 25 August 1944), is a Canadian-born British former newspaper publisher, businessman, and writer. His father was businessman George Montegu Black II, who had significant holdings in Canadi ...

, and

Illinois Governor The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...

Early life

Genson was born June 30, 1941. He was raised on the

West Side West Side or Westside may refer to: Places Canada * West Side, a neighbourhood of Windsor, Ontario * West Side, a neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia United Kingdom * West Side, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Westside, Birmingham E ...

of Chicago along with his younger sister, Myrna. He received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1962 in political science, and a J.D. from

Northwestern University School of Law Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law scho ...

in 1965.

Career

Blagojevich Case

Genson was hired by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich after the Governor's

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be questi ...

on corruption charges on December 9, 2008 and represented him at the

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

hearings in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

. On January 23, 2009, after only a month on the case, Genson announced that he would step down as Blagojevich's lead defense attorney, stating that "I never require a client to do what I say but I do require them to at least listen to what I say."

Republic Windows & Doors

Genson was hired by former Republic Windows CEO Richard Gillman to represent him against the charges brought against him. In a surprise move, the judge set Gillman's bail at $10 million; a significantly higher amount than the Prosecution requested. On Saturday September 25, Genson was able to get Gillman's bail cut in half and he was able to post bail.

Personal life

Genson and his wife, Susan, had three children. Genson died April 15, 2020, at 78 from

bile duct cancer Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, is a type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. Symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma may include abdominal pain, yellowish skin, weight loss, generalized itching, and fever. Light colored stool ...

. Genson was affected by

dystonia Dystonia is a neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder in which sustained or repetitive muscle contractions result in twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal fixed postures. The movements may resemble a tremor. Dystonia is often inten ...

, a neuromuscular disorder that makes muscles contract involuntarily.

Bibliography

*"Prosecutorial Courtroom Misconduct in Illinois", ''

Loyola University of Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Its namesake is Saint Ign ...

Law Journal'', Fall 1987 *"A Guide to Handling Federal Narcotics Forfeiture Cases", ''Illinois Bar Journal'', April 1991 *"Taped Evidence in Criminal Cases: Confronting the Tape Recorder", ''Litigation'' Magazine (

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

), Winter 1994

References

1941 births 2020 deaths Writers from Chicago Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Lawyers from Chicago Deaths from cancer in Illinois Deaths from cholangiocarcinoma {{US-law-bio-stub