Chief Judge Diane S. Sykes of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Brian Slade to a 14-year term as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Slade succeeds Bankruptcy Judge A. Benjamin Goldgar who retired on August 30, 2024. Mr. Slade will take the oath of office and join the bankruptcy bench in Chicago on November 25, 2024. 

Mr. Slade earned his bachelor’s degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and his law degree, with honors, from Harvard Law School. He is a partner in the Chicago office of the Kirkland & Ellis law firm, where he has a general litigation practice that includes substantial work in bankruptcy courts around the country. In March 2024, he was named “Bankruptcy Litigator of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation. Mr. Slade has also represented indigent clients on a pro bono basis for more than twenty years; in 2021 he received the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

In addition to his law practice, Mr. Slade teaches trial advocacy to young lawyers through the KITA program (Kirkland Institute for Trial Advocacy) and has taught at the University of Chicago Law School. He served for ten years on the board of CARPLS, Cook County’s largest legal aid provider, including two years as the board president. He serves on the board of the Chicago chapter of THRIVE Scholars, a nonprofit program that focuses on expanding educational resources for students in under-resourced communities to help them succeed in college and in their careers. We welcome Mr. Slade to our bankruptcy bench.