IBF President Vincent Cornelius wins NIU College of Law’s Outstanding Alumni Award

Vincent F. Cornelius, J.D. ‘89, Attorney at Law and Principal in the law offices of Vincent F. Cornelius, has been named a recipient Northern Illinois University Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumni Award for the College of Law. Every year the Northern Illinois University Alumni Association recognizes the achievements of outstanding alumni through the Distinguished Alumni Award, the F.R. Geigle Service Award, the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and the Outstanding Alumni Award for each of the seven academic colleges at NIU. Recipients are selected based on outstanding professional and ersonal successes, as well as involvement in civic, cultural, or charitable activities. “NIU alumni have gone on to distinguish themselves and Northern in countless ways,” explains Jack Tierney, President of the NIU Alumni Association. “This award program seeks to recognize some of those outstanding individuals who have gone out and achieved great success in their personal and professional lives.” This year the Outstanding Alumni Award for the College of Health and Human Sciences will be presented to Vincent F. Cornelius, J.D. ‘89, a highly respected sole practitioner. Cornelius has established the Law Office of Vincent F. Cornelius in general practice with a focus in criminal and civil litigation, representing individuals, corporations, non-for-profit organizations and other business organizations. In 2008, Cornelius became the first African-American president of the Illinois Bar Foundation, where he has been an active member for his entire legal career and a foundation board member since 2000. In addition to an outstanding legal career, Cornelius has devoted a great deal of time to serving his community as an active member of numerous legal organizations including the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors, Chicago Bar Association Committee on Federal Jury Service, DuPage and Will County Bar Association, Illinois Academy of Lawyers (Chancellor, 2007) and the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Law Reform.