Alton attorney Joseph R. Bartylak is among seven exemplary Illinois attorneys who have been named Laureates of the Academy of Illinois Lawyers, established in 1999 by the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA).

The Laureates will be inducted on Thursday, April 7, at a luncheon at the Westin River North Hotel, Chicago.

Bartylak joined the staff of Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation when it was founded in 1972 and was its executive director for 27 years, during which time its area expanded into 65 southern Illinois counties. He retired in 2003 and is now downstate associate director of the Lawyers' Assistance Program.

The six respected lawyers from all parts of Illinois who nominated Bartylak wrote that he "has been the guiding spirit of the legal service movement in Illinois." "For over three decades," they wrote, "he worked tirelessly to make legal services available to the poor."

The Academy was established "to recognize lawyers who personify the highest ideals of the legal profession," said ISBA President Ole B. Pace III.

Each year, the Academy honors lawyers who have established and maintained the highest principles of the profession as demo

The Laureates were selected by the Board of Regents from submitted nominations. To be eligible for selection, candidates must have practiced law primarily in Illinois for at least 25 years, must be a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, and must have demonstrated a commitment to the highest principles of the legal profession and to serving the public.

Bartylak joins 66 other Illinois lawyers who have been designated as Laureates of the Academy of Illinois Lawyers.

The 30,000-member ISBA, with offices in Springfield and Chicago, provides professional services to Illinois lawyers, and education and services to the public.
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[Note: Previous years' Laureates are profiled at http://www.isba.org/laureates/laureates.html]