Theodore J. Harvatin

Theodore J. (Ted) Harvatin grew up in Rochester, Illinois, a farming and bedroom community near Springfield. His mother was from Benton, Illinois, where her parents, who emigrated from Macedonia (the former Yugoslavia), started and ran a bakery for 40 years.

Ted’s father, who was an electrical engineer at Illinois Bell Telephone, grew up in Sesser, Illinois. Ted’s dad’s parents emigrated from Croatia, another part of Yugoslavia, and Ted’s grandfather Harvatin toiled in the Sesser coalmines. Ted’s uncle played professional baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball organization.

After graduating from Rochester High School as a member of the National Honor Society, Ted attended Knox College, a private liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, a small community near Peoria. Ted majored in economics and business administration, and graduated Cum Laude (high honors). The college faculty selected him for membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic fraternity in the nation, whose members represent the top 10% of their graduating class.

Ted was admitted to, and graduated from, the University of Illinois College of Law, a Big Ten university located in Urbana-Champaign. Based on his law school admission test scores, Ted was accepted as a member of the Mensa International Society, which according to its web site “is a society [that] welcomes people from every walk of life whose IQ is in the top 2% of the population.”

Ted began practicing law in Springfield in 1981. He believes that his diverse family background and intellectual accomplishments give him unique insight into the problems that his clients face in today’s world.

Ted and his son, Alex, enjoy anything having to do with cars. Ted is also an avid bicyclist. Harvatin Law Offices is a sponsor of Team Mack, a local semi-professional bicycle-racing team. Ted himself is a former Big Brother and is a sponsor of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Sangamon County.

Representative Cases

• Davis v. Industrial Comm’n (Charles J. Gramlich), 261 Ill. App. 3d 849; 634 N.E.2d 1117 (4th Dist. Industrial Commission Div. 1994)
• City of Springfield v. Indus. Comm’n. (Glenn Wessel), 328 Ill. App. 3d 448; 766 N.E.2d 261 (4th Dist. Industrial Commission Div. 2002)
• Clark v. Jesse White (Illinois Secretary of State) , 343 Ill. App. 3d 689; 798 N.E.2d 412; 278 Ill. Dec. 310 (4th Dist. 2003)
• Webb. v. White (Illinois Secretary of State), 364 Ill.App.3d 650; 850 N.E.2d 233; 302 Ill. Dec. 796 (4th Dist. 2006)
• Wild. v. White (Illinois Secretary of State) 2006 Unpublished Opinion.

Published Works

“Strategies in Handling DWI and DUI Cases: Driver’s License Hearings with the Illinois Secretary of State”.  Lorman Educational Services.  June 22, 2006. Springfield, Illinois

“Court Supervision in Traffic Cases: New Strategies for Amended Laws”.  Illinois Bar Journal, April 2006, Volume 94, No. 4, pgs. 192-93.  (Reprinted in Westlaw online and distributed at annual Judge’s training course.)

“DUI Will Travel: When Drunk Driving Cases Cross State Lines.”  Illinois Bar Journal, August 2011, Volume 99, No. 8, pgs. 406-409).

Copyright for “Negotiating the Illinois Administrative and Vehicle Codes in connection with Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings”.

Speaking and Lectures

Worker’s Compensation and Vocational Rehabilitation. April 16, 2001. Department of Rehabilitation Services Retreat, Shelbyville, Illinois

“The Prairie Lawyer” (local public access cable television program). Topic: Driver’s License Hearings with the Illinois Secretary of State.

Speaker: “Strategies in Handling DWI and DUI Cases: Driver’s License Hearings with the Illinois Secretary of State”. Lorman Educational Services. June 22, 2006. Springfield, Illinois

Moderator/Speaker “Traffic Law Update”. Illinois State Bar Association, Law Ed Series, March 3, 2007.

Speaker “DUI Defense Strategies”. Topic: Illinois Secretary of State Issues. Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, September 14, 2012

Speaker “Administrative Law in Illinois”. Topic: Illinois Secretary of State Administrative Hearings. Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, October 12, 2012

Moderator/Speaker “DUI: Beyond the Courtroom”. Topic: Illinois Secretary of State Rules and Hearings. Illinois Institute for Continuing legal Education, February 22, 2013.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings; Court Supervision Updates; CDL and GDL Issues; Discovery, Videotapes and Kladis. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, September 20, 2013.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings; Court Supervision Updates; CDL and GDL Issues; Discovery, Videotapes and Kladis. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, March 14, 2014.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings; Court Supervision Updates; CDL and GDL Issues. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, March 13, 2015.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: Updates to legislation and administrative rules governing Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, April 8, 2016. Bloomington, Illinois.

Speaker: “DUI & Traffic Issues for the Defense”. Topic: Updates to legislation and administrative rules governing Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings. Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, September 15, 2016. Naperville, Illinois.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: Updates to legislation and administrative rules governing Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, April 7, 2017. Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: Updates to legislation and administrative rules governing Illinois Secretary of State Driver’s License Hearings. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, October 6, 2017. East Peoria, Illinois. Additional topic: Suspensions for traffic law violations, supervision, CDL and GDL issue.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: CDL issues, including “masking”; Court Supervision Updates. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, April 13, 2018, Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Speaker: “DUI and Traffic Law Update”. Topics: MDDP, RDP, and CDL issues. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council, April 12, 2019, Naperville, Illinois.

Speaker: “DUI Defense: A Litigator’s Seminar”. Panel discussion on Secretary of State issues regarding RDP, MDDP, BAIID, and other license reinstatement issues. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council. October 2, 2020.

Speaker: “DUI & Traffic Law Seminar”. Discussion of proposed rules governing hearings before the Illinois Secretary of State for driving relief following revocations and suspensions. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council. April 14, 2021.

Speaker and Moderator: “DUI & Traffic Law Seminar”, Experience track: Explanation of new rules governing hearings before the Illinois Secretary of State for driving relief following revocations and suspensions. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council. April 8, 2022.

Moderator: “Introductory DUI & Traffic Law Program”. Lectures geared towards beginning DUI and Secretary of State practitioners. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council. April 12, 2023

Speaker and Moderator: “Advanced DUI & Traffic Law Program”, Tips, strategies, and discussions for experienced DUI and Secretary of State lawyers. Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Law and Courts Section Council. April 26, 2023

Recorded video presentation: “Secretary of State Driving Relief Hearings”. Presentation covered all of aspects of Secretary of State hearings, from beginning to end, along with practice tips and update on law and rules. Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Recorded March 2024.