Shorge Sato
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL 60654
Selected to Rising Stars: 2016
- Business Litigation (10%),
- Real Estate: Business (50%),
- Construction Litigation: Business (10%),
- Appellate (10%),
- Civil Rights (10%),
- State, Local & Municipal (10%)
In 2016, after nearly 15 years of practice at law firms big and small, Shorge Sato launched his own law firm, Shoken Legal, Ltd., in Chicago, Illinois. Shorge has carved a niche in the growing and increasingly contentious field of regulation of the "sharing economy" by municipalities, property managers and condominium associations. A long-time Airbnb host and user himself, Shorge filed the first federal lawsuit on behalf of Airbnb hosts against a municipal attempt to regulate Airbnb activity and advertisement, causing the City of Chicago to agree to a temporary injunction and to amend the law. Mr. Sato has continued to represent and counsel hundreds of Airbnb hosts and real estate investors interested in the benefits of the short-term rental market in Chicago and nationwide, and has been a featured presenter and panelist before the Midwest Real Estate Investors Summit and a Lloyd's of London seminar.
In addition to his work on behalf of Airbnb hosts, Mr. Sato continues to represent both businesses and individuals in mostly administrative, law and chancery matters. In 2019, he represented a woman pro bono in her appeal of a 20-year drug conviction to the Illinois Supreme Court. He has argued and obtained favorable decisions before the United States Circuit Court for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Appellate Courts of Illinois.
Business Litigation (10%): Trade Secret, Non-Compete Agreements
Real Estate (50%): Condominiums & Cooperatives, Landlord/Tenant, Mortgage & Refinance
Construction Litigation (10%): Construction Defects
Appellate (10%): Appeals
Civil Rights (10%)
State, Local & Municipal (10%): State, Local & Municipal Litigation
Trade Secret, Non-Compete Agreements, Condominiums & Cooperatives, Landlord/Tenant, Mortgage & Refinance, Construction Defects, Appeals, State, Local & Municipal Litigation
Selections
Super Lawyers: 2020 Rising Stars: 2016
To: Shorge Sato
Super Lawyers: Potential Client Inquiry
Additional Sources of Information About Shorge Sato
About Shorge Sato
Admitted: 2002, Illinois
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Illinois
- Member, Trial Bar, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2016
- United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
- United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Filed Petition for Leave to Appeal on behalf of Brittani Griebahn, a woman convicted of possession of illegal narcotics with intent to distribute and sentenced to 20 years. , 2019
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Author, Why Commercial Landlords Should Stop Worrying And Learn To Love Arbitration," Illinois Bar Journal, Mar. 2011
- Section Contributor, Unreasonably Small Capital, Report of the Bankruptcy Examiner for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., 2010 (also a contributing editor to the commercial real estate valuation section)
- Author, What is the Jurisdictional Significance of Extra-Territoriality? Three
- Irreconcilable Federal Court Decisions, Bloomberg Law Reports – Federal Practice (Featured Article), vol 3, no. 37, 2009
- Section Author, Pattern of Racketeering, Jenner & Block – RICO: A Guide To Civil Litigation In Federal Court, 2009/2011
- Co-Author, Post-Trial Motions In Federal Criminal Practice, IICLE Federal Practice, 2008
- Co-Author (with Steven G.M. Stein), Advanced Analysis of Contract-Risk Shifting Provisions: Is Indemnity Still Relevant? The Construction Lawyer, vol. 27, no. 4 (Fall 2007) [Also presented at and published as part of the Fall 2006 ABA Forum on the Construction Industry]
- Author, Sustainable Development and the Selfish Gene: A Rational Paradigm for Achieving Intergenerational Equity, 11 NYU Envtl. L. J. 503, 2003
- Author, A Little Bit Disabled: Infertility and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 5 NYU J. LEG. & PUB. POL. 189, 2001
- Editor-in-Chief, NYU Environmental Law Journal, New York University School of Law, 2002
Verdicts/Settlements:
- City of Chicago issued notice of violation for Airbnb host for failure to remove Airbnb listing after final determination of ineligibility. Potential fine of $50,000 dismissed after hearing and City non-suit. , 2018
- Tenant sued Landlord for illegal fines and illegal collection activity. Settlement resulted in release of fines and Landlord paid an additional $12,500. , 2018
- City of Chicago issued a Notice of Violation against Dance Studio for operating without required business license and failure to display license. Fine for operating without business license dismissed., 2018
Representative Clients:
- Airbnb hosts in Chicago (Various)
- Represented member and manager of LLC in a "business divorce" case involving claims of fraud, self-dealing and tortious interference with contract, on the one hand, and claims of a business debt due and owing, on the other hand.
Videos:
- Argued for reversal of Illinois Appellate Court decision, that reversed dismissal of construction defect complaint filed by condominium association against townhome developer 15 years after completion of construction. , Illinois Supreme Court - Oral Argument - Henderson Square, Home Builders Association Of Greater Chicagoland; @Properties, 2015, Illinois Supreme Court - Oral Argument - Henderson Square, Home Builders Association Of Greater Chicagoland; @Properties, 2015
Educational Background:
- Northwestern University, B.A., Major: Economics & Political Science, Honors: Four-year Member of National Champion Debate Team (1994-1998; NDT Qualifier 1998)
Industry Groups
- Airbnb Hosts
Shorge Sato:
Last Updated: 9/16/2019