Follows father as bar leader

Urbana attorney John E. Thies is on track to become the second generation member of his family to serve as president of the Illinois Bar Association.

Thies was elected third vice president in balloting that concluded May 11, receiving 66 percent of votes cast by ISBA members across the state. He polled 4,023 votes to 2,073 for Richard D. Felice of Wheaton.

Thies will be installed as president in 2012. His father and law partner, Richard L. Thies, was ISBA president in 1986-87.

A 1988 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, John Thies is a shareholder in Webber & Thies, concentrating in general litigation.

He has served on the ISBA Assembly since 1996 and was a member of the Board of Governors from 2001 to 2007. He is a member of the Civil Practice and Procedure Section Council and a past chair of the Committee on Membership and Bar Activities.

Thies serves on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness and the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation board, and is president of the Cunningham Children’s Home Foundation.

Board incumbents win

In a contested race for two Cook County seats on the Board of Governors, incumbents Mauro Glorioso of Westchester and Naomi H. Shuster of Chicago were re-elected.

Schuster received 1,310 votes and Glorioso had 1,031 votes. The other candidates, ISBA Assembly member Gregg A. Garofalo and Shawn Kasserman received 889 and 834 votes, respectively.

For the Area 3 seat (12th, 13th, 16th and 21st Circuits), Lisa M. Nyuli of South Elgin, a past president of the Kane County Bar Association, won with 271 votes. Contenders were John S. Rossi of Joliet (199 votes) and Craig D. Brown of Geneva (115 votes).

For the Area 8 seat (3rd and 20th Circuits), Russell K. Scott of Belleville, a past president of the Illinois Bar Foundation, received 340 votes to 157 for G. Michael Stewart of East Alton.

James F. McCluskey of Lisle, a past president of the DuPage County Bar Association, was the only candidate for election to the Area 1 seat (18th Circuit).

Incumbent board members Elizabeth L. Jensen of Peoria in Area 4 (10th, 14th and 15th Circuits), and Carl R. Draper of Springfield in Area 6 (7th, 8th and 9th Circuits) were unopposed for re-election.