About Our Chicago Criminal Defense Law Firm
The Law Offices of Beau B. Brindley is a Chicago criminal defense firm built for the courtroom. Since 2007, we have fought federal and state prosecutions at trial, on appeal, and before the United States Supreme Court. Our purpose has never changed: find the path to victory, whatever it takes.
A Verdict No One
Thought Possible
Beau Brindley’s second federal jury trial was supposed to be unwinnable. Everyone said so. The jury came back not guilty.
That verdict, and the ones that followed while he practiced alongside his former law partner, became the foundation of this firm in 2007. People facing federal charges began seeking him out by name. They wanted an advocate the government could not intimidate, one who would do whatever the case demanded.
Nearly two decades later, that is still our reason for being. Beau has built a career on winning trials others had written off, and he has done it again and again. Every client who comes to us receives the same thing: relentless advocacy and a real chance to win.
Built for Trial, Not for Deals
When we take a case, our goal is not to negotiate a plea that serves the prosecution. Our goal is to win. In our experience, the only good plea offers arrive when the government fears what will happen at trial. So we prepare every case to create that fear, and our clients reap the benefit.
We do not pursue cooperation agreements. Ever. Beau regards the cooperation system as morally reprehensible and corrupt. It preys on human weakness, pressures people to save themselves by implicating others, and replaces real evidence with the word of government informants. The result is dishonest testimony, and exposing that testimony in front of juries is what this firm has done from the start.
When the Government Came for Us
We know what it is to be the defendant.
In 2014, after years of losing to this firm in court, federal prosecutors indicted Beau Brindley and his trial partner, Michael Thompson. The message was unmistakable. We had won too often, and the government wanted us out of the fight. We did not step aside. We went to trial, and Beau took the stand in his own defense. In 2015, U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber acquitted them both.
That case cost us a great deal. It also taught us exactly what our clients feel when the full weight of the United States comes down on them. And it deepened, rather than shook, our faith in the system. When the government goes too far, a trial is where it can be stopped. Beau has fought that fight for himself. He will fight it for you.
In the Business of Breaking Chains
For Beau and Jennifer Brindley, this work is personal, and it is rooted in faith. They are committed members of City Church Chicago, where Beau serves as a community leader, and affiliates of Family Christian Center in Indiana. They work closely with Pastor Kent Munsey of City Church Chicago and Pastor Steve Munsey of Family Christian Center.
We believe that standing between a person and an overreaching government is a moral calling as much as a legal one. That conviction is the source of the tenacity we bring to every case, for clients of every faith and background.
Beau B. Brindley
Beau B. Brindley
Beau graduated as valedictorian of the University of Iowa in 2001 with a triple major in history, philosophy, and English. He earned his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2004, finishing in the top ten percent of his class and serving on Law Review. As a mock trial coach, he led University of Iowa teams to back-to-back national championships and was twice named Reynoldson Award Mock Trial Coach of the Year.
He is admitted in Illinois and Iowa, in the Northern District of Illinois, and in federal courts of appeals across the country. He has argued twice before the United States Supreme Court, in Vasquez v. United States and Ruan v. United States.
Recent honors include AMEC Congressional Attorney of the Year (2026), the U.S. Bar Association’s 40 Under 40, and appointment as Distinguished Legal Counsel to the China Economic Forum (2026). He has also spoken on the legal challenges facing mental health professionals at a forum honoring Congressman Danny K. Davis.
The Team
No case here belongs to one lawyer. Every client is represented by a team that prepares, argues, and fights together.
Michael J. Thompson
Trial Partner
A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Michael has spent his entire career at the firm as Beau Brindley’s primary trial partner. His experience spans more than a hundred trials, from drug and firearms charges to white collar prosecutions and murder, in courts across the country.
Blair T. Westover
Associate Attorney
Blair has been with the firm since graduating from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2007. A skilled appellate writer, she has argued before the Fourth and Seventh Circuits and served as second chair in United States v. Kahn before the United States Supreme Court.
Edward McDavid
Complex Litigation Counsel
Edward brings a command of legal research and writing to the firm’s most complex matters, drafting briefs and motions at every stage of litigation. He is relied on for dissecting large volumes of discovery, and has tried cases in federal districts across the country.
Roy Salinas
Legal Assistant
Roy came to Chicago from Salt Lake City for the express purpose of joining this firm. His background in communication and technology keeps clients informed and discovery organized. Off the clock, he is a musician on the Chicago open mic circuit. He is an ambassador for the firm and an extraordinary asset.
Jennifer Brindley
Legal Operations Manager
Edward brings a command of legal research and writing to the firm’s most complex matters, drafting briefs and motions at every stage of litigation. He is relied on for dissecting large volumes of discovery, and has tried cases in federal districts across the country.
From Chicago, Coast to Coast
Our home is Chicago. Our practice runs from Boston to Los Angeles, and we defend federal cases and appeals wherever our clients need us.
Federal trials are the core of that work, from white collar and drug cases to firearms and public corruption. We are known nationally for defending physicians and other medical practitioners accused of unlawful prescribing, the work that produced our unanimous victory in Ruan. We stand beside public figures and executives when a case unfolds in public view through our celebrity and high-profile defense practice. We take cases to the Supreme Court when the law itself must change. And we defend clients in Illinois state courts and on appeal.
Federal Trials
White collar, drug, firearm, public corruption, and other federal charges.
State Trials
Violent crime, sexual offense, and drug cases in Illinois courts.
Supreme Court
Certiorari petitions and merits briefs before the United States Supreme Court.
High-Profile & Celebrity Defense
Discreet, trial-ready representation when the stakes are public.
Facing State Criminal Charges in Illinois?
Call Brindley Law.
If you or someone you love is under investigation or facing charges, the lawyer you choose will shape everything that follows. Call The Law Offices of Beau B. Brindley at 312.765.8878 for a confidential consultation. We are ready to fight, and to win.