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Nerino J. Petro, Jr., has been appointed to the Citrix ShareFile® Advisory Board. This Board is composed of 17 members who will collaborate with Citrix® providing advice on the use of ShareFile® in the legal marketspace and to develop a new product that helps lawyers manage their practices more effectively, efficiently and productively.   Citrix® solutions are in use at more than 400,000 organizations and by over 100 million users globally, including law firms and their staff. 

When asked about selections for the new Board, Bill O’Boyle of Citrix explains, “When developing vertical specific solutions, our core strategy involves consulting with industry thought leaders. Nerino Petro and Jeff Krause have many years of highly respected experience in legal technology and are considered experts in the field.  We are grateful for their participation and service on our advisory board.”

Nerino J. Petro, Jr. is the Chief Information Officer at HolmstromKennedy in Rockford.  Recognized nationally as a speaker and author on legal technology and practice management, Petro speaks throughout the US and abroad on these topics. HolmstromKennedy is a century-old, 17-lawyer firm providing innovative solutions to complex issues throughout Northern Illinois, with offices in Rockford and Byron.

Thomas R. Smith, 76, of Danville passed away at home on Monday (Nov. 23, 2015).

Thomas was born Aug. 6, 1939, to Kenneth and Naydean (Phillips) Smith. He married Nancy (Underwood) Nixon on June 6, 1975; she survives.

Also surviving are a stepdaughter, Melissa (Matthew) Muirhead of Danville; his children, Kenneth Smith of Milwaukee, Thomas Smith of Zionsville, Ind., Melinda Smith of Zionsville, Michele (Mark) Jones of Monrovia, Ind.; and eight grandchildren, including a very special grandson, Grant Thomas Muirhead.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jack Smith.

As a youth, he was active in Boy Scout of America, earning his Eagle Scout badge and representing his council several times in both national and international gatherings. He was a member of the Danville Jaycees, serving a term as president. He was an avid sports fan, especially Illini sports and the Indianapolis Colts.

Thomas graduated from Danville High School in 1957, DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind. where he was a member of the golf team in 1961, and the University Of Illinois College Of Law in 1964.

He practiced law in Danville for 50 years and was a partner in the law firm of Acton & Snyder. Thomas was also a member of both the Illinois and Indiana State Bar Associations, as well as the Vermilion County Bar Association.

The Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, the leading national family law firm based in Chicago, has named former domestic relations Judge Allan W. Masters as their newest attorney. Judge Masters was appointed as a Circuit Court Judge of Cook County by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2001. He left the bench in 2014. Masters oversaw domestic relations cases ranging from child support to orders of protection.

“I am excited having Allan Masters on my team,” said dads’ rights attorney Jeffery M. Leving. “He will continue doing great work in family court matters as well as providing valuable insight to clients. Many more children’s lives will be saved.”

After law school Judge Masters was hired by the FBI to be a Special Agent. He then joined the Cook County State’s Attorney Office in Chicago. Later he founded and managed his highly regarded law firm, where he practiced family law and criminal defense before being appointed as a judge.

Masters graduated from Loyola University where he received a Bachelor of Science and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois and California. Masters is also a member of the Illinois Judges Association.

Even though her leukemia returned after she endured a stem cell transplant, Judge Jean Prendergast Rooney didn’t let that prevent her from hosting Thanksgiving.

She ordered a catered Thanksgiving meal — making sure it was gluten-free for celiac-sensitive relatives — and arranged a sit-down dinner for 10 in her room at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Two weeks later, the respected jurist died at 45, leaving three children behind.

Jean Prendergast Rooney, an appellate law expert and judge of the Cook County Circuit Court, died Tuesday at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

She was the first woman from her law class to become a member of the judiciary, according to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, her former classmate at Loyola University School of Law.

“And this is an impressive feat,” Madigan noted at Mrs. Rooney’s swearing-in, “in part because Jean was the youngest member of our law school class ­going through Loyola’s elite six-year­ accelerated program. So Jean finished college and started law school while the rest of her peers were struggling through what was hopefully their senior year.”