Jerry A. Latherow, of Latherow Law Office in Chicago, was installed as the 58th President of the lllinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) on Friday, June 10, 2011 , at its annual convention. Latherow received his Bachelor's degree from lllinois State University and his J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago. Latherow began his legal career with significant trial experience at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, where he was promoted to the Felony Trial Division within two years of being hired. There, he prosecuted cases in the highly visible Recidivist Trial Courts where he tried 25 jury trials to verdict, including a death penalty case. After nearly six years serving the public, Latherow entered private practice in 1982 working as a trial attorney at Corboy and Demetrio in Chicago. He opened his own law office three years later. Latherow has been professionally active serving on the Board of Managers of the lllinois Trial Lawyers Association since 1988 and the Executive Committee from 2002 until the present. Latherow is a six-term elected member of the lllinois State Bar Association Assembly. He is a member of American Association of Justice, National Trial Lawyers, Society of Lawyers, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, lllinois Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation. He is a past president of the Loyola University of Chicago Law Alumni Association. "I truly consider it an outstanding privilege and honor to lead the lllinois Trial Lawyers Association. ITLA has done more than any other bar association in the country to help protect the rights of injury victims and the families of people who have lost their lives through the negligence of others." "We must continue to make sure these rights do not get chipped away at by those who feel they should not be held accountable. ITLA will fight relentlessly for these victims and their families who deserve at least a level playing field with wrongdoers in our courts."