New officers of the South Suburban Bar Association will be installed during the annual holiday dinner dance on Friday, Dec. 17, at Flossmoor Country Club. Call President-elect Thomas Edwards, (708) 957-1500.
West Suburban Bar /Bohemian Lawyers
The West Suburban Bar Association and Bohemian lawyers Association of Chicago will hold a joint dinner meeting Thursday, Nov. 18. Call (708) 366-1122.
Williamson County Bar
Four members of the Williamson County Bar Association were honored for more than 50 years of practice on Nov. 5 at the Kokopelli Golf Course. They are Stanley W. Narusis, J. C. Mitchell, James B. Bleyer and William J. Novick, all of Marion.
Call bar association President Mark A. Kochan at (618) 997-3636 for information about future events.
Workers' Comp Lawyers
A meeting to nominate new officers and directors of the Workers' Compensation Lawyers Association will be conducted at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, at a Chicago location. The election will take place Friday, Dec. 10. Call President Karen M. Talty, (312) 645-0606.
Some holiday events aid bars' charitable efforts
Many of the bar association holiday parties that dot the December calendar will provide opportunities for lawyers to support programs that benefit those who need more than cheer during the festive season.
Member of the Northwest Suburban and North Suburban Bar Associations will join the judiciary and staff of the 2nd and 3rd Municipal District Courts in a buffet dinner event Wednesday, Dec. 8, that will raise funds for the Village of Arlington Heights Holiday Assistance Program.
The DuPage County Bar Association will collect new, unwrapped gifts for distribution by Toys for Tots at its Friday, Dec. 3, holiday party. So will the Kane County Bar Association on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend-a-Hand program is the beneficiary of a musical brunch that will be sponsored Sunday, Dec. 12, by the Chicago Bar Association, with performances by the CBA Vocal Ensemble and Barristers Big Band and outtakes from the Christmas Spirits show.
Details follow of bar-related activities for fun and funding that will be held during the next five weeks.
DECEMBER 3 (Friday) CHICAGO - Workers' Compensation Lawyers Association holiday party; Karen Talty, (312) 645-0606.
DECEMBER 3 (Friday, 3-5 p.m.) OAK BROOK - DuPage County Bar Association holiday party and Toys for Tots collection; The Clubhouse; (630) 653-7779.
DECEMBER 3 (Friday, 6-10 p.m.) CHICAGO - ISBA Young Lawyers Division benefit holiday party for Children's Assistance Program; Joe's Sports Bar; Gregg Garafalo, (312) 286-5440.
DECEMBER 6 (Monday, 6 p.m.) OAK BROOK - DuPage Association of Women Lawyers holiday reception and 7 p.m. dinner; Maggiano's Little Italy; (630) 221-0802.
DECEMBER 8 (Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.) ROLLING MEADOWS - Northwest Suburban Bar/North Suburban Bar Association/2nd and 3rd Municipal District Courts annual holiday reception, 6:30 p.m. buffet dinner and presentation of Excellence Award to Presiding Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer; Magnum's Steak House; (847) 259-7908.
DECEMBER 8 (Wednesday) OAK PARK - West Suburban Bar Association holiday party; LaBella Restaurant; (708) 366-1122.
DECEMBER 8 (Wednesday, 5:30-9:30 p.m.) DECATUR Decatur Bar Assn. holiday party; offices of Kehart, Peckert & Booth; Heidi Balsey, (217) 428-4689.
DECEMBER 9 (Thursday, 5 p.m.) PEORIA - Peoria County Bar Association holiday reception, 7 p.m. dinner and entertainment; Hotel Pere Marquette; (309) 674-6049.
DECEMBER 9 (Thursday, 5:30 p.m.) WADSWORTH - Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County holiday party; Marjorie Sher, (847) 249-2830.
DECEMBER 11 (Saturday) ROSEMONT - Justinian Society Ballo d'Natale holiday dinner dance; Gibson's Restaurant; John Sciaccotta, (312) 836-4181.
DECEMBER 12 (Sunday, 11 a.m.) CHICAGO - Chicago Bar Association musical brunch benefit for Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend-a-Hand program; Hilton Hotel and Merle Reskin Theater; Awilda Reyes, (312) 554-2134.
DECEMBER 15 (Wednesday, 4-8 p.m.) GENEVA - Kane County Bar Association holiday reception and Toys for Tots collection; Riverside Receptions; (630) 762-1915.
DECEMBER 17 (Friday) FLOSSMOOR - South Suburban Bar Association annual reception, dinner, award presentations and installation of officers; Flossmoor Country Club; Tom Edwards, (708) 957-1500.
DECEMBER 17 (Friday, 7:30 p.m.) CHICAGO - Advocates Society meeting and Christmas party; Copernicus Center; Steven Kosicki, (847) 686-3111.
Chicago-Kent alumni honor overseers Birnbaum, Kaplan
Peter J. Birnbaum, president of Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, is one of eight alumni of the Chicago-Kent College of Law who were honored Nov. 9 during the association's annual luncheon.
Birnbaum, who serves on the ISBA Task Force on the Unauthorized Practice of Law and the Special Committee on Mentoring, received a Distinguished Service Award for professional and civic achievements that include two years as president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago.
A member of Chicago-Kent's Board of Overseers and past president of its alumni association, Birnbaum was appointed recently to a six-year term as a judge of the Illinois Court of Claims.
Another recipient of a Distinguished Service Award is James L. Kaplan of Kaplan & Sorosky, Chicago, who also serves on Chicago-Kent's Board of Overseers.
Chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education and a commissioner of the Midwest Higher Education Compact, Kaplan chaired the Illinois State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities for eight years.
A Professional Achievement Award was presented to Warren E. Engle of Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein & Johnson, Chicago, a past chair of the ISBA Workers' Compensation Law Section Council and CBA Committee on the Industrial Commission.
Also receiving Professional Achievement Awards are Bernard B. Wolfe of Wolfe & Polovin, Chicago, a retired Cook County judge who served 10 years in the Illinois General Assembly, and Dennis Schoville of San Diego, Calif., past president of the local chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Awards were presented to Jane Bohman, executive director of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and Sherizaan Minwalla, staff attorney for the Midwest Immigrant and Human Rights Center of the Heartland Alliance.
Assistant Cook County state's attorney Grace Hong received a Young Alumnus Award for work in the Community Prosecutions Division that led to her designation by the Chicago Sun-Times as one of 30 professionals under age 30 to watch.
Women's Bar pays tribute to Kurilla, Hamos, Zopp
Chicago attorney Marlene A. Kurilla, a former member of the ISBA Assembly who serves on the Insurance Law Section Council, has received a President's Award from the Women's Bar Association of Illinois in recognition of her years of service as an officer and committee chair.
Kurilla, a founder of the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening, was honored Nov. 10 at the annual WBAI Joint Professional Dinner, along with four recipients of Women with Vision Awards.
Julie Hamos, an attorney and state representative, received her award in the government category. Andrea Zopp, senior vice president and general counsel of Sears, Roebuck and Co., was honored in the business/law category.
Other recipients are Evette Cardona, senior program officer of the Polk Bros. Foundation, as community activist, and BarbaraEngel, a consultant on women's issues, for community services.
Bahr, Dempsey honored
ISBA Second Vice President Irene F. Bahr of Wheaton, a past president of the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers, received a 2004 Influential Women in Business Award on Oct. 25 from The Business Ledger during a luncheon in Itasca.
Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary A. Dempsey received a Distinguished Service Award from Lawyers for the Creative Arts during its annual luncheon Oct. 26 in Chicago. Mary Hutchings Reed, of counsel to Winston & Strawn, received the Thomas R. Leavens Award.
All aboard for one of three ISBA-sponsored midwinter Caribbean cruises that are being planned by Global Holidays, one of the association's affiliated travel agencies.
The cruises from Fort Lauderdale, aboard the Costa Cruises elegant CostaAtlantica, are scheduled early next year with two separate itineraries. Prices range from $1,099 to $1,479 per person, double occupancy, depending on choice of cabin location.
The Western Caribbean cruise includes stops in Key West, Cozumel, Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman, and two full days at sea. Sailing dates are Jan. 2 to 9 ($100 less per person), Feb. 13 to 20, and March 13 to 20.
Eastern itineraries - Jan. 9 t0 16, Feb. 20 to 27, and March 6 to 13 - list ports of call as San Juan, St. Thomas/St. John, Catalina Island, Casa de Campo and Nassau, with two full days at sea.
Features include round-trip air fare, airport transfers, seven days on board, all meals and entertainment. Cruise taxes and fees are $192 for Western Caribbean, and $199 for Eastern Caribbean.
Call Global at (800) 842-9023 to book a cruise or obtain information about other travel opportunities listed below. Brochures on many of the offerings are available from ISBA offices.
Prices per person on current listings are based on double occupancy, with round-trip airfare, but do not include taxes and fees. Departures may be available from both Chicago and St. Louis. Among tours next year are:
China: Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Yangtze River cruise (13 days, $2,799-3,199 plus $199 government taxes, security charges and fees) - Departures March 30, April 14, April 28, May 26, June 2, June 9, June 16.
Imperial Vienna, Austria (9 days, $1,599 plus $119 government taxes, security charges and fees) - Departures April 1, April 2, April 8, April 9, April 15, April 16, April 22, April 23. Optional excursions include Prague and Budapest.
Spain's Costa del Sol and Madrid (9 days, $1,899) - Departures April 15, April 19, April 23, April 27, May 1, May 5.
Greek Isles Cruise and Italy aboard the Costa Victoria, departing from Venice and including ports of call in Bari, Katakolon, Mykonos, Rhodes and Dubrovnik (12 days, $2,995-3,395 plus estimated $149 in taxes and fees) - Departures May 6, May 13, May 20.
Ireland's Kilkenny and Killarney (9 days, $1,599) - Departures Sept. 2, Sept. 9, Sept. 16, Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7.
Italian Riviera and Tuscany (9 days, $1,599) - Departures Sept. 2, Sept. 9, Sept. 16, Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14.
Switzerland's Lake Geneva and Germany's Black Forest (9 days, $1,599) - September and October dates.
Julie Proscia, former head of equal opportunity compliance at Northern Illinois University, has joined the labor and employment firm of Wessels & Pautsch in St. Charles. A certified mediator, she is assistant coach of NIU's national trial advocacy team and a frequent judge on local competitions.
Jason S. Ornduff has become a principal in Eckhart Kolak, Chicago, after eight years as an associate. He practices in estate planning, probate, taxation, corporate and real estate law.
Alyson M. Carrel has been appointed director of training by the Chicago-based Center for Conflict Resolution. She was manager of the Dependency Mediation Program for Florida's 8th Judicial Circuit and administrator of the Juvenile Mediation Clinic at the University of Florida School of Law.
Elizabeth Berrones, formerly with the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic in Chicago, is now a staff attorney with the DuPage Legal Assistance Foundation in Wheaton.
Andrew A. Honegger of the Corporate Practice Group in the Peoria office of Husch & Eppenberger will become a member of the firm on Jan 1.
Frank Ierulli, former chief civil assistant Peoria County state's attorney and counsel to the county board chair, has joined the Peoria office of Howard & Howard to practice in municipal law and litigation.
Seven attorneys have been elevated to equity shareholders at Johnson & Bell, Chicago. They are Gregory D. Conforti, William K. McVisk, Daniel C. Murray, Frank P. Nowicki, Kevin G. Owens, Charles P. Rantis and Marilyn M. Reidy. Rick Hammond, formerly of Chuhak & Tecson, joined the firm, Nov. 1 as an equity shareholder.
New associates in the trademark and copyright practice at Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson, Chicago, are Annie L. Albertson, formerly of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, and Teresa D. Tambolas, from Welsh & Katz.
Paige Hoyt has joined the staff of Prairie State Legal Services as attorney for McHenry County.
Adam C. Smedstad has become of counsel to the Chicago office of Scopelitis, Garvin, Light & Hanson in class action and commercial litigation defense of trucking and logistics companies. He was a partner in Michael Best & Friedrich.
Deborah J. Anderson, a magna cum laude graduate of the Southern Illinois University School of Law, has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Scopelitis, Garvin, Light & Hanson after service as an Air Force judge advocate and special assistant U.S. attorney in New Mexico.
Martin R. Castro has joined Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, Chicago, as a partner and national vice chair of its Corporate Diversity Counseling Group. He also serves on the Public Law and Strategies Group.
Mitchell S. Chaban is now associated with Sugar, Friedberg & Felsenthal, Chicago, in commercial litigation. He was with Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell.
Law firm changes announced
ISBA President-elect Robert K. Downs and Barbara Downs have relocated the matrimonial law offices of Downs & Downs from Oak Park to Suite 1870, 150 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago 60606.