Judges named to vacancies in four circuits

Assistant Cook County state's attorney Allen E. Murphy, a member of the Gang Crimes Unit since 2005, has been appointed to the circuit court's 3rd Subcircuit for a term that will expire Dec. 6, 2010.

Murphy fills the vacancy caused by the death on April 20 of Thomas F. Carmody Jr., who was presiding judge of the 5th Municipal District.

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Springfield attorney Peter Colby Cavanagh will be sworn in Aug. 25 as a judge of the 7th Circuit. He succeeds Robert J. Eggers, who retired from the Sangamon County bench on July 29.

A 1997 graduate of The John Marshall Law School and partner in Cavanagh, Madonia & Leahy, Cavanagh will serve until Dec. 6, 2010. He is a former assistant state's attorney and part-time public defender.

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Associate Judge Jennifer H. Bauknecht was sworn in July 11 as an 11th Circuit judge. She fills the vacancy of Livingston County Judge Harold J. Frobish, who retired that day.

Bauknecht, a 1992 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, was an associate at Hinshaw & Culbertson until her appointment in 2005. She was a claims adjuster at Hinshaw before attending law school.

Pontiac attorney Mark A. Fellheimer of the Fellheimer Law Firm, a 1997 graduate of the Valparaiso University Law School, has filled the associate judge vacancy.

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Associate Judge Thomas J. Riggs of the 18th Circuit was named July 7 to the vacancy resulting from the retirement of former chief judge Robert K. Kilander.

Associate judges seated

Three DuPage County attorneys have been elected by 18th Circuit judges to associate judge vacancies. They are Neal W. Cerne of Naperville, Peter W. Ostling of Elmhurst and Richard D. Russo of Wheaton.

Cerne, a past president of the DuPage County Bar Association, is a 1988 graduate of the Loyola University School of Law. He had been a partner in Cerne & McSwain since 2000.

Ostling, a 1984 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, has been a solo practitioner since 1997 after 13 years as a Navy officer and attorney.

Russo, a past president of the DuPage County chapter of the Justinian Society, is a 1978 graduate of The John Marshall Law School. A solo practitioner since 1985, he was a Chicago police officer from 1972 to 1978.

Judge heads foundation

Judge Barbara L. Crowder of the 3rd Circuit was elected president of the Illinois Judges Association Foundation in June. The association last year committed $200,000 to the foundation, which had received only individual donations since 2000.

Among its goals is to continue presenting an annual Harold W. Sullivan Scholarship to Promote Judicial Ethics, and to fund a Judicial Intern Opportunity Program.

Crowder, a past chair of the ISBA Bench and Bar Section Council, has served on the IJAF board for six years.

ADR program a year old

Judge David A. Hylla of the 3rd Circuit was appointed in June as mediation and arbitration coordinator. He recently completed training in civil mediation at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nev.

Established a year ago by Chief Judge Ann E. Callis as mandatory for lawsuits seeking $10,000 to $25,000, the program has been ac--claimed for speeding up the litigation process.

During the past year, 741 cases went to arbitration and 74 percent of the awards were accepted. Fewer than 2 percent of cases went to trial.

Three arbitrators are selected for each case from a panel of 100 trained Madison County lawyers. If either side rejects a decision, the party can pay a $300 fee and schedule a trial.

Danville renovation OK'd

Vermilion County officials voted July 21 to recommend removal and replacement of the cracked east side façade of the County Courthouse Annex façade in Danville at a cost of $200,000.

The emergency reconstruction of the stucco covering will resolve safety concerns and create a stable exterior that should last between 10 and 20 years.

Still under long-range consideration is restoration of the historic sandstone building, its original spiral tower and onion-shaped dome.