Attorney John E. Thies, a shareholder at Webber & Thies, P.C., in Urbana, and past President of the Illinois State Bar Association was installed as the Chair of the Board of Directors for ISBA Mutual Insurance Company on March 18, 2016.

ISBA Mutual provides malpractice insurance to Illinois lawyers.

As Chair, Thies said, he will continue the ISBA Mutual’s commitment to helping Illinois lawyers achieve the highest professional standards and guard against professional liability.

“The availability of ISBA Mutual insurance is one of the most significant ISBA benefits. All the lawyers of our state owe a debt to the ISBA leaders who had the foresight to create this company in the interest of lawyers and their clients. I am delighted to serve as chair, and together with our board and staff, look forward to a strong year.”

Thies served as the 136th President of the Illinois State Bar Association from 2012-2013. He is also past president of the National Caucus of State Bar Associations, and is a member of the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents. As a lawyer, Thies has earned a Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating of AV. He also has received the SuperLawyers designation and has been identified by the Leading Lawyers Network as one of the top ten downstate business lawyers in Illinois.

Among other organizations, Thies is a member of the Illinois State, Champaign County, Chicago and American Bar Associations. His firm is a charter member of Attorney's Title Guarantee Fund, which the firm helped establish. Thies is a Fellow of the Illinois and American Bar Foundations, and currently serves on the Illinois Supreme Court's Committee on Character and Fitness and the Strategic Planning Committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference. He is also a member of the board of directors of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation.

In the area of community service, Thies has served on numerous philanthropic boards and committees, frequently in leadership positions. These have included: Cunningham Children’s Home Foundation (past President); Champaign-Urbana Community Schools Foundation (past Chair); Volunteer Center of Champaign County (past Chair); Champaign-Urbana Kiwanis Club (past board member); Illinois Bar Foundation (past board member); and United Way of Champaign County (past board member). Together with his wife, Terry, he has led youth on a number of church mission trips to such locations as West Virginia, Mississippi and Mexico.

Thies received a B.A. with distinction from Indiana University in 1984 (Economics), and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1988. He practices in the area of business representation and general litigation, and resides in Urbana with his wife Terry and their two daughters, Kathryn and Caroline.