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Paul is Chicago native and a 1982 graduate of Illinois Benedictine College, in Lisle, Illinois. He graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law in January of 1986, where he was on the Dean’s List.

Paul began his legal career 1986 as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney in the Criminal Appeals Division where he drafted and successfully argued many briefs before the Illinois Appellate Court. He was also assigned to research and draft a brief to the Illinois Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court. Eventually, Paul was assigned to the Criminal Division where he successfully tried hundreds of cases. After leaving the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Mr. Tanzillo practiced in the area of Municipal Law, representing the Villages of Palatine, Mt. Prospect, Northfield, and Glencoe, IL., as both an Assistant Village Attorney and Prosecutor.

In 1991, Paul became associated with Johnson and Bell, Ltd., a mid-sized insurance defense firm in Chicago, where he was eventually elected partner representing national hotel and restaurant chains, grocery stores, liquor stores, department stores and other retail merchants in their commercial and civil litigation. He also represented these merchants in their business and liquor licensing matters and the defense of business and liquor license violations throughout the City of Chicago, State of Illinois and nationally. He also represented these clients in administrative litigation for code violations, dram shop violations and premises liability actions. The results he has secured for his clients, whether through early dismissal or by obtaining defense verdicts at trial, are second to none.

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In 2000, Paul became a partner at McBreen, Kopko, McKay & Nora. In 2007, Paul was a founding member of McKay, Nora, Tanzillo, Daddino & Kott, LLP. In 2015, Paul founded The Tanzillo Law Group, LLC, where he continues his practice of law and representation of clients which he established in 1991.

Paul has been recognized as leading defense counsel in the defense of restaurant and hotel security cases and regularly lectures and conducts seminars on the legal issues surrounding hotels and restaurants. Mr. Tanzillo has successfully avoided judgments where millions of dollars in damages were at risk for claims against negligent security for personal injury, false arrest, false imprisonment, robbery, assault, battery and criminal assault.

Paul has been a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Northwest Suburban Bar Association, Justinian Society of Lawyers, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the Defense Research Institute. He is licensed to practice in the State of Illinois and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Outside of his law practice, Paul is a member of the Board of Directors for CareLink Foundation, a non-for-profit, charitable organization, dedicated to providing critical assistance to families in third world countries, particularly Honduras; is a past President of the Naperville Central High School Athletic Booster Club; is an Illinois High School Association licensed football official and referee and President of the DuPage Officials Association; was a coach and manager for the youth baseball in Naperville, Illinois, and is a member of the St. Joseph High School Sports Hall of Fame located in Westchester, IL.