Tahir Malik, the 47-year-old Skokie man accused of posing as a lawyer for five years, was just helping people who couldn't speak English very well, Malik's father said Tuesday.
As Malik went before a judge at the Skokie Courthouse for a bond hearing, his father, 76-year-old Rahim Malik, was the only family member in court with him.
Cook County State's Attorney and Sheriff's Offices say Malik was posing as a lawyer, but Rahim claims it's not true. He says his son was just counseling people and that he'd done it for the past three months, not five years.
"This is crazy. I mean, really, this is crazy stuff that someone can pretend to be a lawyer this long and not be caught up in the system," said Sheriff Tom Dart.
Malik's lawyer's request for a bond reduction was denied. A bond hearing is scheduled Jan. 28.
