Capping his career as an assistant state’s attorney, Rod Drobinski has opened a private practice in Waukegan after retiring as a prosecutor Jan. 31.
Drobinski had been with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office for nearly 15 years and now will work primarily as a criminal defense and civil attorney, he said.
The switch is “bittersweet,” Drobinski said.
“I loved working for that office. The work I did there was really rewarding and such a great experience,” he said on Feb. 17.
Drobinski, a Republican, is also known locally for taking a run at politics, running twice unsuccessfully against incumbent Democratic State Rep. Sam Yingling of Grayslake in tightly-contested and contentious races.
Drobinski said the time he took off to run those campaigns helped him reconnect with the Polish community in Lake County, and with Polish being his first language, he expects to attract clients from that community.
State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim said Drobinski, who worked with the State’s Attorney’s Gang and Narcotics unit, was “a very dedicated public servant.”
“He handled some really significant cases and I wish him well in private practice,” Nerheim said.
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Drobinski was one of the lead prosecutors in a 2013 multi-agency operation against street gang drug dealing in the Waukegan area with connections to a Mexican drug cartel.
Among those convicted through that operation was Alfonso Gallardo of Waukegan, who officials said was known as “Grande.” Gallardo was the first defendant in Lake County history to be convicted by a jury on the charge of street gang criminal drug conspiracy. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison earlier this year.
Drobinski also prosecuted numerous attempted murder cases and was one of the prosecutors in the ongoing case against three defendants, one of whom has pleaded guilty to murder, in the shooting death of 20-year-old Colin Nutter of Highland Park.
Drobinski said that over time, his experience as a prosecutor showed him the importance of having both qualified prosecutors and defense attorneys in hearing and trial situations.
“The system works best when there are good aggressive attorneys working on both sides,” he said.
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