When Theodore A. Gottfried was nominated in 2000 for induction as a Laureate of the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers, he was described as one who “has devoted his entire professional career to assuring that the indigent accused have competent, professional representation.”

Gottfried announced last month that he will step down at the end of the year from his 35-year stewardship as the inaugural head of the Office of State Appellate Defender in Springfield.

The board of commissioners, in the Laureate nomination, praised him for the high ideals of “unquestioned competence, zealous representation of clients, rock-ribbed integrity, and selfless service to the community.”

Appointed state appellate defender when the office was established on Oct. 1, 1972, Gottfried had been director of its predecessor, the Illinois Defender Project, and a Cook County assistant public defender.

A 1966 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, which also awarded him an honorary degree in 2001, Gottfried has chaired the ISBA Criminal Justice Section Council, and has served on the Assembly for six years and the Committee on Legislation for 12 years.

Among honors he has received are the ISBA Access to Justice Award, the Reginald Heber Smith Award from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and a Gideon Award from the Illinois Public Defender Association.

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed a search committee for Gottfried's successor that includes Mary T. Robinson, Thomas M. Breen and Randall B. Rosenblum.