Midyear Meeting

All sitting and retired members of the Illinois Supreme Court will be presented with the first annual “Harold Sullivan Award for Judicial Excellence” at the joint Midyear Meeting of the Illinois Judges Association (IJA) and Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) on Friday, December 10, at a 12 noon luncheon, at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 E. North Water St. Created by IJA President Lewis M. Nixon, a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, the award was named in memory of the late Judge Harold Sullivan to salute the men and women who serve or have served with distinction on the state’s highest court. Judge Sullivan, who died earlier this year, was instrumental in helping expand the IJA in size and influence. Current justices who will be honored are Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, Charles E. Freeman, Robert R. Thomas, Rita B. Garman, Lloyd A. Karmeier, Anne M. Burke and Mary Jane Theis. The retired, living justices who will receive the award are Benjamin K. Miller, James Heiple, John J. Stamos, Mary Ann G. McMorrow, Moses Harrison II, John L. Nickels, S. Louis Rathje, Thomas Fitzgerald and Phillip Rarick. Judge S. Gene Schwarm, Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, will receive the IJA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  Judge Schwarm, who has served as chairman of the Conference of Chief Judges since September 2006, is also chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial Mentoring Committee and co-chair of the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council. Keynote speaker at the luncheon will be trial attorney, best-selling author, television anchor and legal analyst, Rikki Klieman, who has earned a sterling reputation as one of the nation’s most thoughtful legal authorities.

[gallery link="file" columns="2"] The Illinois Bar Foundation Fellows honored James F. Holderman, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois, and Nancy Katz, Associate Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, at the group's annual breakfast Friday at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Judge Holderman received the Honorary Fellow Award from his wife, ISBA Board of Governors member Paula Holderman. Chief Judge Holderman has been a U.S. District Judge in Chicago since 1985, and has been the Chief Judge of the Northern District of Illinois since 2006. During his more than 20 years on the bench, he has presided over numerous cases in all areas of federal jurisdiction. Judge Katz received the Distinguished Service to Law & Society Award from her cousin, IBF past president David Sosin. Judge Katz was appointed to the bench in 1999 and is currently assigned to the Domestic Relations Division, where she presides over an individual calendar. She frequently speaks and trains lawyers, judges and law students in the areas of civil and family law.

The Illinois Judges Association will present "Ten Things Lawyers and Judges Need To Know About Military and Veterans' Laws" at the ISBA/IJA Joint Meeting on Friday, Dec. 11. This program will take place from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. in Chicago Ballroom 10 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 E. North Water Street. Participating in this program will be Joseph Butler and Brian Clauss, Co-Executive Directors of the John Marshall Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic; John Costello, Illinois Attorney General's Office and Colonel Richard Fox, Illinois Army National Guard.

[gallery link="file" columns="2"] The Illinois State Bar Association's Joint Meeting begins with a special program on Thursday, Dec. 10, Lincoln's Legacy: Lawyers Who Protect Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness -- including a keynote address by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and a panel discussion moderated by WTTW Chicago Tonight Host Phil Ponce. The event begins at 1 p.m. and is sponsored by the Diversity Leadership Council. In celebration of President Obama's Call to Service and International Human Rights Day (Dec. 10), learn how lawyers are making a difference through their work in advancing human rights, equality and other social movements. Find out about opportunities to make a difference and how you can make a contribution to social justice through volunteerism as well as with the clients you serve. A variety of organizations that provide services fitting the "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness" will be on hand so that you can explore this marketplace to discover how you can best use your talents to "make a difference". 1:00 p.m.     Welcome & Introductions by President John O'Brien 1:30 p.m.     Keynote Address by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan 1:45 p.m.     Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness Panel moderated by Phil Ponce, WTTW-TV 2:45 p.m.     Diversity Leadership Award Presentation 3:00 p.m.     Call to Service Marketplace