Chicago Area

The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts has announced that the 21st Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Ronald J. Gerts as an associate judge. Mr. Gerts received his undergraduate degree in 1968 from Brown University and his Juris Doctor in 1977 from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Gerts has been affiliated with the Kankakee County Public Defender's Office and his solo practice in Bourbonnais.

[caption id="attachment_8201" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Frank Sommario"][/caption] Frank A. Sommario, an associate attorney at the Chicago law firm of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, was elected and installed treasurer of the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association (WCLA), Ltd., at a dinner meeting held January 23 at the Drake Hotel. Sommario was first elected to the WCLA Board of Directors in 2008 and served in that capacity for fiscal years 2008-09.  He became a member of the organization in 2001. The WCLA was established to promote fellowship among members of the bar engaged in the trial of workers’ compensation matters; promote, foster and sponsor legislation relating to workers’ compensation and its administration; aid, assist and cooperate with judicial tribunals and administrative bodies in matters relating to the administration of workers’ compensation laws; and improve quality of service to the general public for workers’ compensation legal services. Prior to joining Romanucci & Blandin, Sommario was a partner in a firm which represented petitioners in their workers’ compensation claims, and while in law school, was a law clerk for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.  A certified public accountant, as well as a registered investment advisor, he received his J.D. degree from DePaul University College of Law in 2000 and his B.S.

Edward J. Downs, a lawyer described as having a soft tough for those in need, passed away from pancreatic cancer last week. Mr. Downs spent five years with the Cook County Public Defender's Office before becoming McHenry County's first public defender. "I think he really semi-adopted his clients," said Chuck Murphy, a criminal defense attorney who met Mr. Downs 37 years ago. "He took an interest in that [client's] case, but also in what was going on in the person's life." Mr. Downs received his master's degree from Loyola University and his law degree from DePaul University. Click here to read the full obituary in the Chicago Tribune.

Tthe Members of the Women's Bar Foundation (WBF) recently elected/re-elected as Directors of the Foundation, for three -year terms ending January 2013, the following members of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI): Sarah Breitlander, Anne McGovern Burkhart, Karina DeHayes, Dawn M. Gonzales, Bates McIntyre Larson, Susan Schwartz and Tracey Stokes. At the Annual Meeting of the Foundation's Board of Directors, held immediately after the Foundation's Members Meeting, the following individuals were elected as Officers for the year 2010:

• President - Bernadette Barron
• Vice President - Shelley DeRousse (Event Co-Chair)
• Bernadette Freeman (External Affairs)
• Carol A. Hogan (Fundraising)
• Bates McIntyre Larson (Scholarships)
• Catherine Basque Weiler (Event Co-Chair)
• Secretary - Rosa M. Silva
• Treasurer - Mary Melchor

The Women's Bar Foundation was created in 1966, and established as a non-profit organization in 1968, for the purpose of funding scholarships for deserving women law students attending Illinois law schools. For further information on the WBF, see www.womensbarfoundation.org.