A top member of the Cook County prosecutor’s office has resigned after an internal review found he referred business to his old law firm and it billed the county more than the county’s standard legal services rate. Chaka Patterson resigned Friday, less than a year after becoming the head of the office’s civil division. County records show that Patterson hired his former employer, Jones Day, to handle two cases and it eventually billed the county about $460,000. The county’s standard rate is $185 an hour, but the law firm billed at rates up to $500 an hour. County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office says Jones Day did “nothing inappropriate” but had billed the county significantly above the standard rate. Patterson could not be reached for comment.
