Chief judge gets Asian Bar honor

Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans of Cook County received a Grand Asian Award on Jan. 26 during the 25th annual Lunar New Year Awards Gala held by the Asian American Coalition of Chicago.

Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke was a keynote speaker for the event at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

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Cook County Judge Margarita T. Kulys-Hoffman of the 3rd Municipal District received a Bishop Shiel Award on Jan. 23 from the Illinois State Crime Commission and Police Athletic League.

She was honored during a luncheon in Oakbrook Terrace for striving to administer justice while diverting young offenders from further involvement with the criminal justice system.

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The Illinois Center for Violence Prevention recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a benefit Art of Peace Gala at which two co-founders received Vision to Action Awards.

State Rep. Julie Hamos of Evanston and Barbara Shaw, director of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, were honored "for exemplary leadership in advancing safe families and communities."

ICVP executive director Debbie Bretag lauded Hamos and Shaw for "their ability to bring diverse groups together, early understanding that violence is preventable and commitment to bringing these issues to the public."

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Paul E. Freehling of Seyfath Shaw, Chicago, a volunteer with Cabrini Green Legal Aid, was featured in January as Pro Bono Attorney of the Month on the Legal Aid Online Web site.

A Laureate of the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers and newsletter editor of the Administrative Law Section, Freehling helps attorneys in his firm write clemency petitions for CGLA clients.

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Robert L. Graham of Jenner & Block received a Citizen of Action Award from the League of Women Voters of Illinois during its annual State of the State luncheon on Jan. 24 in Chicago.

Graham was honored for leadership in the legal community on environmental and other issues. Attorney General Lisa Madigan was keynote speaker.

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Chicago attorney Jay Ross received a Lifetime Achievement Award last month during the 27th annual Chicago Music Awards program. He also has received two Gottlieb Awards from Columbia College.

An entertainment law attorney for 40 years, Ross has hosted radio and television programs, written several professional articles, and taught at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

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Nicasa, a not-for-profit agency that promotes healthy lifestyles, and prevention and treatment of substance abuse and addiction, has appointed Lake County public defender Joy Gossman of Waukegan to its 33-member board.

Gossman began working with Nicasa in 1989, when she joined the public defender staff and began representing individuals charged with DUI.

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Thomas R. Hill, leader of the Litigation Practice Group in the Chicago office of Dykema, has been elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a graduate of the Loyola University School of Law.

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Louis S. Freedman of Freedman, Anselmo, Lindberg & Rappe, Naperville, has been elected to a two-year term on the board of directors of the National Association of Retail Collection Attorneys. He had been the organization's appointed parliamentarian.

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Daniel Ebner of Kirkland & Ellis, Chicago, has been appointed to the National Leadership Council of Lambda Legal. A member of the Chicago Leadership Council, Ebner's active pro bono caseload includes a transgender civil rights matter.

Chicago attorney and certified public accountant Claireen L. Herting of Price-waterhouse Coopers was elected Great Lakes Region director of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy during its 100th annual meeting in Hawaii.

She also serves on the boards of The John Marshall Law School, Free Arts for Abused Children, and the Easter Seal Society of Metropolitan Chicago.

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Janice Rodgers, a partner in Quarles & Brady, Chicago, and chair of its Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice, has been elected board chair of the Chicago-based Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law.

Florida Bar lauds Chicago attorney

Ross Benjamin Bricker, a partner in Jenner & Block, Chicago, has received the Florida Bar President's 2008 Pro Bono Award for an out-of-state member.

During a Jan. 31 ceremony at the Florida Supreme Court, Bricker was honored for more that 3,600 hours of volunteer representation during the past 12 years, including 470 hours in 2007.

Through the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, he has been lead counsel for displaced residents of public housing in New Orleans who want to return to live in the city.

Bricker's precedent-setting legal work on behalf of migrant farm workers earned recognition from the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation. He was honored by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for assisting people with disabilities who have been victims of housing discrimination.

In addition, he has handled pro bono cases that involved the First Amendment, Freedom of Religion, Section 8, public housing, criminal defense and civil rights.

A member of the law firm's Litigation Department and chair of the Litigation Executive and Strategy Committee, he has taught for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and University of Chicago Law School.

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Bricker graduated in 1980 from the Washington University Law School and joined Jenner & Block, becoming a partner in 1987. He was a founding member of the firm's Washington, D.C., office and has been managing partner of the Miami office.