The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed retired Cook County Circuit Court Judge Pamela Hill Veal of Chicago to serve as a member of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (A.R.D.C.) Review Board effective on January 1, 2024, and expiring on December 31, 2026.

The A.R.D.C. is the Supreme Court agency that investigates allegations of lawyer wrongdoing in Illinois.

Judge Veal retired from the bench on December 31, 2012, after having served as a judge since 2004, most recently in the municipal division. Prior to joining the judiciary, Judge Veal had a successful career in private practice focusing on domestic relations matters. During that time, Judge Veal served as an administrative hearing officer with the Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings, as a Civil Service Board Member and Chairperson for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, and as member/chairperson of the A.R.D.C.’s Inquiry Board.

Judge Veal has also been an Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Department at Chicago State University where she published two books: Trial Practice and Procedures and Criminal Procedure: A Workbook. She taught at Chicago State University prior to becoming a lawyer. Judge Veal received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Western Illinois University, a master’s degree in education from Loyola University of Chicago, and a master’s degree in marketing communications from Roosevelt University. She obtained her Juris Doctorate degree, with a certificate in health care law, from DePaul University School of Law.

Judge Veal replaces A.R.D.C. Review Board member Charles E. Pinkston, Jr., whose term expired on December 31, 2023. The A.R.D.C. Review Board is composed of nine members, all of whom are lawyers appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Review Board sits in panels of three and considers appeals from reports of the A.R.D.C. Hearing Board, which functions like a trial court in attorney disciplinary proceedings. Review Board members receive no compensation for their service.

More than 80 employees and over 100 lawyer and non-lawyer volunteers work for the A.R.D.C. All funds expended by the agency are from annual registration fees paid by Illinois attorneys; there are no tax dollars used to support the disciplinary system. There are two A.R.D.C. offices: 130 East Randolph Drive, Suite 1500, in Chicago and 3161 West White Oaks Drive, Suite 301, in Springfield.