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.
Chicago Area
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February 3, 2010 |
People
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February 3, 2010 |
People
Former Cook County prosecutor and legal consultant Mike Rogers of LaGrange recently passed away. Mr. Rogers was a 1981 graduate of Fenwick High School. He graduated from Regis University in Colorado and received his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. "Mike was the best at bringing new technology to the courtroom - in graphics, audiovisuals and re-enactments," said Chicago attorney John Lyke, who worked with Mr. Rogers in the Cook County state's attorney's office. "He was a hard-charging professional, and someone who was great at training other trial lawyers." Click here to read the full obituary in the Chicago Tribune.
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February 1, 2010 |
People
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
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February 1, 2010
State
- Election officials: New Illinois laws could case big delays, Belleville News-Democrat
Central Illinois
- Ex-guard nets term in prison, Bloomington Pantagraph
Chicago area
- Aldermen fight subpoenas in Carothers-related case, Chicago Tribune
- Ald. Carothers pleads guilty, Chicago Tribune
- Still arguing his case, even after all these years (Judge Leighton), New York Times
Southern Illinois
- Madigan sues Williamson County contractor, The Southern
- Sweet sworn in as Madison County's newest associate judge, Madison/St. Clair Record
Nation
- Layoff notices spur worries in Wisconsin DA offices, ABA Journal
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January 29, 2010 |
CLE | People
[caption id="attachment_7959" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Left to right: Dan Wurl, Darrell Seigler, George Leynaud, Martin O'Hara, Robert Duncan, Dennis Berkbigler, Ron Kalish and ISBA President John O'Brien"][/caption] ISBA President John O'Brien met with the speakers and organizers of the Tort Law Section's "Back to Basics: Tort Law" on Friday at the ISBA's Chicago office. Some of those included:
- Dan Wurl, Champaign
- George Leynaud, Peru
- Dennis Berkbigler, Effingham
- Darrel Seigler, Ottawa
- Ron Kalish, Chicago
- Martin O'Hara, Chicago
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January 29, 2010 |
People
Enterprise Law Group, LLP is pleased to announce that Samuel L. Pappas has joined the firm as Of Counsel. Samuel is a business lawyer with 20 years' experience in areas including banking and bank regulation, business finance, complex structured and mezzanine finance, commercial real estate transactions, and securitized lending, as well as consumer finance and regulation. During his career, Samuel practiced in a large law firm, and has also been a transactional attorney for various banks and financial services companies, including Parkway Bank & Trust Company, Transamerica Finance Corporation, Bank One (n/k/a Chase Bank), and The Asahi Bank, Ltd. (a Japanese bank). He will be providing legal services to entrepreneurs, middle market companies, private enterprises and financial services clients. Samuel received his J.D. degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. He received a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Northwestern University, where he served as President of Pi Sigma Alpha (a national honor society for political science majors).
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January 29, 2010
Chicago area
- Carothers expected to plead guilty to bribery charges, Chicago Sun-Times
- Vrdolyak's probation-only sentence overturned, Chicago Sun-Times
- Ex-legislator, newspaper dropping suits, Daily Herald
- Woman sues Metra, says toilet on train "exploded", Chicago Tribune
- Ex-Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase gets year and a day in prison, Chicago Sun-Times
- Chicago Sports Webio backer pleads guilty to fraud, Chicago Tribune
- Personal data found blowing in the wind, Chicago Tribune
Northern Illinois
- Man accused of killing mother waives jury trial, Rockford Register Star
Southern Illinois
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January 28, 2010
Central Illinois
- Champaign district's attorney fees cut in half, Champaign News-Gazette
Chicago area
- Former DuPage Co. chief judge dies, Daily Herald
- Co-worker: Peterson offered $25,000 to have wife "taken care of", Chicago Tribune
- Walsh vs. Walsh battle continues as candidate fires back at Hollywood, Daily Herald
- Woman sues Target, says she slipped on pillow cover, Chicago Tribune
Northern Illinois
- Former Sherrard clerk neglected in prison, family says, Quad-City Times
Southern Illinois
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January 28, 2010 |
ISBA News | People
The ABA Young Lawyers Division will honor Justin Heather, co-editor of the Illinois State Bar Association's YLD newsletter, with its National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. The YLD will present the award during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 6. The YLD presents this award annually to a young lawyer who exemplifies professional excellence, service to the legal profession and the bar, service to the community, and who has a reputation for the advancement of legal ethics and professional responsibility. Heather, a litigation associate with the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, concentrates his practice on complex corporate litigation. He represents clients in a variety of disputes, including international gas and oil matters, intellectual property, securities law, bankruptcy, franchise law, complex commercial contracts, and mergers and acquisitions. In his eight years of practice, Heather has logged more than 4,000 pro bono hours, more than 10 times the ABA's recommended 50 hours a year. His pro bono service involves working with such clients as death row inmates, West African citizens suffering political persecution, and other clients in various race and disability discrimination lawsuits. In addition to his frequent pro bono contributions, Heather actively supports a variety of bar activities.
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January 28, 2010 |
ISBA News
[caption id="attachment_7828" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Chief Judge Holderman and the mock trial team from Oak Park/River Forest High School"][/caption] On Friday, January 22, 2010, the Illinois State Bar Associations' Law Related Education Committee conducted one of four regional high school trials at the High School Mock Trial Invitational. The invitational is co-sponsored by Illinois LEARN, the University of Illinois Springfield, The Illinois Judges Association, and the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Two teams, Evanston and Oak Park/River Forest, took the top two placements and will proceed to the finals in Springfield later this spring. Over 16 teams competed in the trials on Friday and Saturday. Chief Federal Judge James F. Holderman presided over the last trials between Evanston and Oak Park/River Forest. The teams presented the case of Logan Lovell v. Pat Sainsbury, which was a civil case dealing with teenage drivers who get into a traffic accident after leaving a party where alcohol is being served.
