The South Suburban Bar Association and Southwest Bar Association will hold a joint Judges' Night on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Call Thomas Edwards, (708) 957-1500, for details.
Township Attorneys
Officers of the Illinois Township Attorneys Association are President Dale Stockley of Sandwich, Vice President Mark Schuster of Elgin, Secretary Richard Burton of Ottawa and Treasurer John Foltz of Monticello.
Vermilion County Bar
B. J. Luke, varsity football coach at Danville High School, will speak to the Vermilion County Bar Association during a luncheon Tuesday, Sept. 27, in the Community Room at Old National Bank. Call President Charles J. Devens, (217) 446-3889.
West Suburban Bar
The West Suburban Bar Association will meet Monday, Sept. 19, for dinner and program at Bacino's Restaurant, LaGrange. Call (708) 366-1122 for details. The WSBA Judges' Night reception and dinner will take place Thursday, Oct. 20, at Oak Park Country Club in Elmwood Park.
Winnebago County Bar
Dr. Hans Diehl, founder of the Coronary Health Improvement Project, will speak to the Winnebago County Bar Association during a luncheon meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Forest Hills County Club, Rockford. His topic is "Health: Raising the Bar." Call (815) 964-4992.
A WCBA luncheon program and panel discussion on "Press, Bench and Bar: Can We All Get Along?" co-sponsored by the 17th Circuit and the Rockford Register Star, will take place Wednesday, Oct. 5.
Speakers include Gary Hengstler, director of the National Center for the Courts and Media at the National Judicial College and former editor of the ABA Journal, and Jerrianne Hayslett, former public information director for the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Darrow Death Penalty College moves to DePaul
The DePaul University College of Law is the new home of the Clarence Darrow Death Penalty Defense College, previously at the University of Michigan Law School.
The Darrow initiative will operate under the leadership of DePaul Law Prof. Andrea Lyon, director of its Center for Justice in Capital Cases, who founded the death penalty college at Michigan in 2000.
Limited annually to 42 criminal defense lawyers involved in capital cases, the Darrow College provides lectures, demonstrations and small-group workshops where their capital defense skills are enhanced.
Michigan will continue to be a co-sponsor, along with the Office of Illinois State Appellate Defender, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the American Bar Association.
DePaul also has a Death Penalty Legal Clinic. For more information, call (312) 362-5837 or access www.law.depaul.edu/cjcc.
Women's Bar taps scholars
Ten women law students will receive scholarships from the Women's Bar Foundation during a luncheon Friday, Sept. 16, at the Chicago Hilton Hotel. The reception begins at 11:15 a.m.
Nina Totenberg, award-winning U.S. Supreme Court correspondent for National Public Radio, will be keynote speaker. The recipients and their law schools are:
Lindsay M. Beyer, University of Illinois; Carrie E. Byrnes, John Marshall; Joanna Clark-Sayer, DePaul; Annette M. Gonzalez, Loyola; Dana M. Johnson, Northern Illinois; Cherish Keller, Chicago-Kent; Sara L. Murphy, University of Chicago; Kate Shaw, Northwestern, and Courtney Witte, Southern Illinois.
Israeli JAG is speaker
Amos N. Guiora, a member of the Israeli Defense Forces Judge Advocate General Corps for 19 years, will speak Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. His topic is tensions between security concerns and human rights in a democratic society.
A law professor at Case Western Reserve University, Guiora was also a legal adviser to Israeli military units in the Gaza Strip. The lecture is free, but reservations should be made with Sarah Gillooly at (312) 906-5134.
DePaul holds moot court
Judges are needed for preliminary rounds of the DePaul University College of Law Moot Court Appellate Intramural Competition on Monday and Tuesday evenings, Sept. 26-27, at the Richard J. Daley Center. Call Crystal Spivey, (312) 362-6840, for details.
Inverness attorney James L. Simon, a Cook County Circuit Court arbitrator for more than 10 years, has been appointed director of the DePaul Dispute Resolution Center. He is a 1977 graduate of the law school.
'Tobacco Wars' aired at SIU
David A. Kessler, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will speak on "A Question of Intent: Tobacco Wars" at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Southern Illinois University School of Law. A reception will follow.
Kessler, who has a law degree from the University of Chicago and a medical doctorate from Harvard, is dean of the School of Medicine at the University pf California-San Francisco. His presentation will be the Dr. Arthur Grayson Distinguished Lecture. Call (618) 453-8761 for reservations.
JMLS alumni elect Davi
ISBA Assembly member Umberto S. Davi, a former member of the Board of Governors, took office in June as president of the John Marshall Law School Alumni Association.
Other officers, all of whom serve on the Assembly, are Vice Presidents Patrice Ball-Reed, Russell W. Hartigan and Judge Cheryl D. Cesario; Secretary Kimberly J. Anderson, and Treasurer Katherine A. Amari.
Dewey B. Crawford has joined Foley & Lardner as a partner and co-chair of its Business Law Department in Chicago. He previously chaired the Corporate Department at Gardner, Carlton & Douglas and served on the ISBA Corporation and Securities Law Section Council.
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M. Jane Matoesian and William M. Lawson have joined Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, Swansea and St. Louis, as officers - Matoesian in the Litigation Practice Group and Lawson in the Labor and Employment Practice Group.
Matoesian, a former judicial clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joseph H. Goldenhersh, was vice president and counsel for A. G. Edwards & Sons. Lawson has extensive experience in representing managements in employment and traditional labor matters.
Julie Ann Schultz (real estate practice) and Amy Pauls (corporate practice) have joined the firm as associates.
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Chicago attorney Ray H. Burgan has joined the corporate and tax practice at Arnstein & Lehr. Formerly with the Ziccardi Law Offices, he counsels businesses in formations, dissolutions and litigation matters.
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William M. McErlean has become a partner in the Chicago office Litigation Department of Barnes & Thornburg. Former co-founder of Seidler & McErlean, he previously chaired the Rudnick & Wolfe Litigation Department.
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Marc Seidler and John Verhey have left Seidler & McErlean to join the franchise and distribution practice in the Chicago office of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.
Both lawyers were partners in Rudnick & Wolfe, precursor to DLA Piper Rudnick, until 1996. Seidler also practiced with Wilson & McIlvaine and was first assistant Lake County state's attorney.
Fischel & Kahn, Chicago, has promoted Deborah Jo Soehlig, a former associate, to a principal of the firm in litigation of trust, estate, employment, real estate and commercial matters.
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Natalie N. Ferguson has joined the general corporate law practice at Messer & Stilp, Chicago, as an associate. Previously staff attorney at Provena Health in Mokena, she is a former Illinois Senate Republican legal counsel to the Insurance and Pensions Committee.
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Three name partners in Benjamin, Berneman & Brom have joined Querry & Harrow in Chicago as shareholders in the Commercial Law Department, adding bankruptcy to practice areas that include intellectual property, information technology and complex commercial litigation.
They are Robert R. Benjamin, Beverly A. Berneman and John M. Brom, who practiced together in their firm for more than 20 years.
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Deborah E. Decker and Karina H. DeHayes have become partners in Tabet, DiVito & Rothstein, Chicago. Decker concentrates in complex business litigation involving fraud, antitrust, malpractice and employment claims. DeHayes practices in complex business litigation, appeals and local government law.
New associates in the firm are Mark H. Horwitch, Henry H. Hess and Reema Kapur.
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Cari Jay Raymond has joined Tressler, Soderstrom, Maloney & Priess, Chicago, as an associate in professional liability, including directors and officers liability. She was with Boundas, Skarzynski, Walsh & Black.
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Sean Darke has joined Wessels & Pautsch in St. Charles as an associate in labor and employment litigation. He was a clerk for a circuit court judge in Michigan.
Ginzkey forms new law firm
Trial attorney James P. Ginzkey, chair of the ISBA Tort Law Section Council, has opened an office at 221 E. Washington St., Bloomington 61601, telephone (309) 821-9707. He was a partner in Hayes, Hammer, Miles, Cox & Ginzkey.
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ISBA Assembly member Albert E. Durkin of Cook County is a name partner in the new firm of Miroballi, Durkin & Rudin. Others are Joseph J. Miroballi and Scott H. Rudin in the offices located in Suite 300, 6 W. Hubbard St., Chicago 60610, telephone (312) 229-5555.
The firm represents victims of medical malpractice, traumatic brain injury, motor vehicle incidents, transportation, construction, product liability and other personal injury matters.
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The new law firm of Regina P. Etherton & Associates has been established by Regina P. Etherton, formerly with Peter D. Kasdin Ltd., along with David Horan, M.D., J.D.
The personal injury, wrongful death and medical malpractice litigation practice is located in Suite 1800, 303 W. Madison, Chicago 60606, telephone (312) 529-5500.
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The Chicago firm of Sinar, Keldermans, Miller & Friedman has appointed Michelle Schadler as director of administration. Former chief operating officer of Gresham Partners, she has been chief financial officer of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, and financial operations manager at the Arthur Andersen accounting firm.
Samuel Maragos served both in legislature, on bench
Samuel Constantine Maragos of Chicago was a retired Cook County judge, a former state legislator and a co-founder of the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois.
Mr. Maragos, who was honored by his Greek colleagues as Hellene of the Year in 1994, died Aug. 23 at age 83 of congestive heart failure. He was a partner in Maragos & Maragos with his son, Dean T. Maragos.
A veteran of Army service as a lieutenant during World War II, Samuel Maragos attended classes at The John Marshall Law School on the GI Bill. He graduated in 1948 and was a name partner in firms such as Maragos, Richter, Berman, Russell & White, and Faber, Haber & Maragos.
Mr. Maragos served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1968 to 1976, and subsequently in the Illinois Senate until 1980. He chaired the House Revenue Committee and the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, as well as the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission.
Appointed to the Cook County Circuit Court in 1991, he served until 1995 and went back into practice with Maragos, Apostol, Maragos & Ditore.
Mr. Maragos served on the ISBA Committee on Legislation from 1981 to 1997, and he was a member of the Senior Lawyers Section Council from 1991 to 1995.
An emeritus member of The John Marshall Law School Board of Trustees who served more than 30 years, Mr. Maragos was past president of the South Chicago Chamber of Commerce and past commander of the South Chicago American Legion Post. He was a founder, president and general counsel of the Thornridge State Bank.
Mr. Maragos was an Archon Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople of the Greek Orthodox Church, past supreme president of the Pan Arcadian Federation of America, and a member of the executive committee of the Hellenic American Congress. He received the Silver Beaver Award of Merit from Boy Scouts of America.
Mervin Bachman
Retired Chicago attorney Mervin N. Bachman died Aug. 22 at age 90 of heart failure in a California nursing home. A former partner in Arvey, Hodes, Costello & Burman, he chaired its labor department.
A 1939 graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Bachman was an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board until 1953, when he joined the Chicago firm then known as Arvey, Hodes & Mantynband. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1957.
In 1984, Mr. Bachman was appointed chair of the Illinois Industrial Commission. Three years later he became a member of the Illinois Human Rights Commission and served until he retired in 1995 and moved to California.
Gabriel Barrett
Additional information has been received about Gabriel J. Barrett, whose death at age 78 was reported in the August issue of the ISBA Bar News.
A 1952 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, Mr. Barrett practiced construction and real estate law in Chicago, Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Palos Park and Orland Park. He died July 31 of respiratory failure in Advocate Christ Medical Center.