Chicago Area

The Executive Committee of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) announced last week that they have appointed ISBA YLD Council member Michael G. Bergmann as Executive Director as of December 1, 2010.  Bergmann, who joined PILI in 2006 as Pro Bono Initiative Director, has most recently served as PILI’s Director of Programs where he expanded and advanced PILI’s Pro Bono Initiative and played a critical role in assuring the success of interns, fellows and alumni placement and educational programs.  Bergmann further brings to the position his substantial knowledge of the Illinois pro bono community as well as the experience gained through his career long commitment to providing legal services to those in need. Bergmann obtained his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts from The Catholic University of America.  Before joining PILI, Bergmann served as the Guardian Ad Litem Program Director for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. During and before law school, he focused on project management and business development as a consultant with the Financial Planning Solutions Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Bergmann currently serves as Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD) and will become the Chair of the YLD during the 2011-12 bar year.  He is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association where he serves on the ISBA’s Assembly and Young Lawyers Division Council, is Immediate Past Chair of the Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, and previously held the position of Vice Chair of The Chicago Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section.  He additionally serves as a board member of several community organizations. Frequently recognized for his contributions to the profession and his service to the bar and public, Bergmann received the Kimball and Karen Anderson Public Interest Law Fellowship in 2005 from The Chicago Bar Foundation, and was named the 2006 ISBA YLD Young Lawyer of the Year from Cook County and the 2007 Outstanding Young Alumnus from DePaul University College of Law. “I am honored to have this opportunity to serve as PILI’s Executive Director and look forward to building on PILI’s proud history of successes, and its contributions to the highest ideals of our profession,” says Bergmann.  “PILI’s role in the Illinois legal community is critical to helping address the vast unmet legal needs of the poor and underrepresented, and I look forward to working with our partner public interest law organizations, law schools, law firms, and corporations in meeting those needs.”

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced today major changes in the Circuit Court that include the appointment of new Presiding Judges and Supervising Judges in almost half of the court's divisions and districts and the creation of a new division dedicated to elder law matters, the Elder Law and Miscellaneous Remedies Division. "I want to be clear that these changes I am undertaking in the court system are designed to ensure that the Circuit Court of Cook County remains on its current trajectory as a model court for the nation," Chief Judge Evans said. In addition to the 10 appointments announced today, Chief Judge Evans said he expects to announce additional adjustments at the court's executive management level in the near future. He also indicated that reviews of the structure and operations within the court's divisions and districts are forthcoming. In addition to the creation of the new division dedicated solely to elder probate matters, he said, "Further significant changes to the court are to be expected." The Circuit Court is made up of six geographical districts and 10 divisions: Law, Chancery, County, Domestic Relations, Domestic Violence, Juvenile Justice, Child Protection, Probate, Criminal, and Elder Law and Miscellaneous Remedies.

Theodore R. Scott, Jr. of Deerfield, passed away on Nov. 13. Mr. Scott was born in Mt. Vernon in 1924 and served in WWII as a B-24 navigator. On his 20th mission, he and his crew were shot down over West Hungary and became prisoners of war in Germany for 89 days. Mr. Scott graduated Phi Betta Kappa and earned his juris doctor from the University of Illinois. He became an intellectual property litigator spending much of his career as named partner in the firm of McDougall, Hersh & Scott in Chicago - which later merged with Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. Mr. Scott remained of counsel to Jones Day until 1998. Read the full obituary in the Chicago Tribune.

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that Matthew G. Bertani received a majority of the votes cast by the circuit judges in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit and has been appointed to the office of associate judge. Mr. Bertani received his undergraduate degree in 1983 from Drake University and his Juris Doctor in 1988 from the University of Arizona. Mr. Bertani is currently affiliated with Sabuco, Beck, Hansen, Schrock & Bertani in Joliet, Illinois.