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  • July 9, 2019 | People
    J. Michael O'Byrne 1925 – 2019

    J.(James) Michael O’Byrne died June 30, 2019 in Urbana.

    He was born August 26, 1925, at Mercy Hospital in Urbana, the fourth of six children of John Francis O’Byrne and Rachael Copeland O’Byrne. He went to grade school at St Mary’s in Urbana and graduated from Champaign High School in 1943. He enlisted in the United States Navy Air Corps and served two and a half years during World War II. After service, he returned to Champaign and enrolled in the University of Illinois College of Commerce, receiving a degree in 1948. He was a proud member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. In 1949 he received a Doctor of Law Degree from the University of Illinois Law School and he was admitted to the Illinois Bar in January 1950.

  • July 9, 2019 | People
    Wayne L. Bickes 1932-2019

    Wayne L. Bickes, 87, of Decatur, died Tuesday, July 2, 2019, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur.

    Wayne was born June 18, 1932, in Decatur, the son of Brownie B. and Irma (Shutter) Bickes. He married Sandy Brumley on December 2, 1966, in Decatur.

  • July 1, 2019 | People
    Michael Best Partner Marshall Schmitt Elected President of Chicago Rotary Club

    Michael Best has announced that partner Marshall Schmitt has been elected as the 116th President of the Rotary Club of Chicago, also known as Rotary/One. An installation ceremony will take place on July 2 at the Union League Club.

    Schmitt and Mark Maloney, President of Rotary International, the international body that oversees the over 34,000 Rotarians worldwide, will also host an open house on July 1 at the home of Rotary/One’s founder, Paul Harris, which the club is helping to restore.

  • July 1, 2019 | People
    Freeborn Elevates Attorneys to Equity Partner

    Freeborn & Peters LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elevated several attorneys to equity partner, effective June 25.

    The firm’s new equity partners include Shelly A. DeRousse and Steven D. Pearson. The attorneys previously were partners. 

  • July 1, 2019 | People
    Community Activism Law Alliance: Transforming Legal Aid

    Courtesy the American Bar Endowment

    Lawyers have tremendous power to change people's lives through legal representation and systemic advocacy.  At the Community Activism Law Alliance (CALA) in Chicago founded by Lam Ho in 2014, a group of lawyers and activists are changing how lawyers and communities work together.  The CALA model of “community activism lawyering” shifts the practice of law from a transactional relationship focused on an individual client/case crisis to a transformative proactive partnership for systemic change.   Lawyers serve individual clients; yet, with the promise of preventing future crisis, better systems are put in place to address critical community needs.

  • June 27, 2019 | People
    Evan D. Coobs 1963-2019

    Evan Drew Coobs died June 24, 2019, in Champaign. He was 55 years old.

    Evan was born on November 11, 1963, in Oelwein, Iowa, the son of Edward W. Coobs and Doris A. (Rodenberg) Coobs. He graduated from Central High School, the University of Iowa College of Business, and the University of Iowa College of Law.

  • June 27, 2019 | People
    Alliance of Illinois Judges Installation of Officers Ceremony

    ISBA Second Vice President Anna Krolikowksa was among those who attended the Alliance of Illinois Judges’ Installation of Officers and Annual Meeting on June 26 in Chicago. She is pictured with Alliance of Illinois Judges President Hon. Mary Cay Marubio.

  • June 27, 2019 | People
    Hubacher Ames & Taylor, PLLC Launches With the Addition of J. Kirk Taylor as a New Member

    Art Hubacher and Matthew Ames are pleased to announce the formation of Hubacher Ames & Taylor, PLLC with the addition of J. Kirk Taylor as a name member of the firm.  

    With the addition of Taylor, the firm will also add a Chicago office to the firm's base in Fairfax, Virginia.

  • June 26, 2019 | People
    Mauro Glorioso Named Executive Director/General Counsel of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board

    Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration has appointed attorney Mauro Glorioso to be the executive director and general counsel of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB).

    Glorioso has served the PTAB in a number of capacities, most recently as chairman of the board. Prior to that, he was a member of the statewide five-member board. Board members are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. 

    Prior to becoming a board member, Glorioso served as an administrative law judge at the agency. Glorioso is a past president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers and has been active in the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA). He served three terms on the ISBA Board of Governors.

  • June 19, 2019 | People
    Champaign Attorney Deb Feinen Joins ATG as Vice President-Downstate Operations

    Deborah Frank Feinen, attorney and Champaign mayor, was recently named vice president of downstate operations for Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG).

    Feinen brings more than 25 years' experience in the profession to her new role as the top leader for ATG’s downstate operations, including more than a decade as an active ATG member agent. Her law practice in Champaign-Urbana included real estate, estate planning and administration, guardianship, business law, and school law. Feinen said the ATG position offers her new challenges, as well as the opportunity to continue her local relationships with lawyers, real estate agents, and lenders, while meeting new people in other areas of the state. She follows in the footsteps of Jerry Gorman, former senior vice president of ATG’s downstate operations, who retired in early 2019 after 37 years at ATG.