Donald Rubin

Don Rubin has worked in the field of property taxation for more than 45 years, first as an assessor, then as a real estate appraiser, and finally as an attorney in private practice for the past 40 years. He represents the owners of commercial, industrial and large residential developments throughout Illinois.

Major appellate court cases that Don has won include Lee County Board of Review vs. the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, 278 Ill. App.3d 711, in which he successfully represented the Woodhaven Lakes Homeowners Association, comprised of more than 2400 condominium mobile home sites, against an attempt by the local assessor to assess the improvements as real estate. The appellate court found that the mobile homes situated upon these sites were not subject to taxation as real property. In the case of Cook County Board of Review v. the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, 403 Ill. App.3d 139, Don successfully represented the owners of 124 unsold residential condominium buildings in the Crestwood Condominium Development that were not being uniformly assessed when compared to other buildings in the same development that had been sold as individual units, and for far higher values. Refunds were ordered to the owners for excessive taxes paid over a 3-year period.

Don founded and served as the first President of the Illinois Property Tax Lawyers Association, a group comprised of private law firms dedicated to ensuring fair and equitable property tax laws in Illinois. IPTLA members work with local and state taxing officials on legislation and rules that impact every property taxpayer in the state. With his RSK&G partner, Jim Chipman, Don co-authored a chapter on Practice and Procedures before the Illinois Property Tax Board, which was included in the 2020 ICLE Handbook on Real Property Taxation. Don has been a speaker/moderator before many groups including the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), the International Association of Assessment Officials (IAAO), and the ISBA’s State & Local Taxation Section Council on various topics relating to property tax assessment law and practice. He has also authored more than 40 articles available on LinkedIn.

Don has recently been reappointed to the Illinois State Bar Association’s State & Local Taxation Section Council for 2023.

Don served on the Board of Youth Outreach Services for 28 years. YOS provides social service assistance and counseling to troubled youth and their families throughout the west and northwest sides of Chicago, and the near west suburbs. In conjunction with YOS, the City of Chicago and the Cook County Assessor’s Office, Don’s firm GCT participated in summer jobs placement programs for kids drawn from economically challenged Chicago neighborhoods served by YOS. In all, the firm has assisted in placing approximately 65 of these teens into paying jobs, including approximately 40 with the Cook County Assessor’s Office, thanks to the cooperation of the Assessor and his caring staff. These placements also include classes in financial responsibility and provide mentoring assistance as well. Upon successfully completing this jobs program, each participant receives a certificate of recommendation from their employer, which can then be used when applying for employment in the future. The program has been so successful in instilling a sense of pride and confidence in these teens that it was renewed for 2022 and YOS has been successful in placing 75 teens in summer jobs in the post-Covid era.

EDUCATION

• John Marshall Law School, J.D., Chicago
• University of Illinois, B.A., Chicago

BAR ADMISSIONS

• Illinois, 1980

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• IAAO – International Associate of Assessment Officers
• Illinois Bar Foundation, Gold Fellow
• Illinois Property Tax Lawyers Association – Founding Member, First President. This Association has been successful in drafting, sponsoring and successfully obtaining revisions of the Illinois Property Tax Code, as well as local county board of review rules throughout the state.
• Illinois State Bar Association – Member State and Local Taxation Section Council (2005 to 2016), Chair (2012), Speaker/Moderator at numerous CLE seminars (2005-2016)
• International Association of Assessing Officers
• ISBA State & Local Taxation Section Council

HONORS & AWARDS

• Illinois SuperLawyer since 2005
• 10-year Gold Fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation, which supports 29 legal assistance organizations throughout Illinois
• Rated “the highest possible AV rating in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards reflecting the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and Judiciary” in Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings
• Leading Lawyers, 2014 – 2022

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Youth Outreach Services, a not-for-profit social service agency serving at-risk children and families in the Chicago area since 1959, Board Member and Board President (1994 – 2022)
• Founder of Operation Welcome Homes, a not-for-profit group that provided free vacations to military personnel returning from war zones, to allow them to relax, decompress and spend valuable time with their families (2010 – 2020)