Illinois Supreme Court Appoints Hon. Robert C. Marsaglia (ret.) ARDC Commissioner
The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Robert C. Marsaglia of Morris to serve as a Commissioner of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) for a term beginning on January 1, 2025, and expiring on December 31, 2027. The ARDC is the Supreme Court agency that oversees lawyer licensing and investigates allegations of lawyer wrongdoing in Illinois.
Judge Marsaglia is of counsel to the law firm of Mahoney, Silverman & Cross, LLC, which has offices in Joliet, Oswego, and Morris. Prior to joining the firm, he was a judge in the Circuit Court of Grundy County from 1996 until his retirement in 2020. He was Presiding Judge when he retired. Before joining the bench, Judge Marsaglia worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Grundy County and in private practice.
Judge Marsaglia has served on several Illinois Supreme Court Committees, including the Judicial Mentor Committee and the Special Advisory Committee for Justice and Mental Health, as well as participating in the Court’s Judicial College. He has spoken at many judicial continuing legal education seminars. He is also a board member of the Community Foundation of Grundy County and serves on the boards of several local non-profit organizations.
Judge Marsaglia received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and his juris doctorate from DePaul University College of Law.
Judge Marsaglia succeeds former ARDC Commissioner Timothy L. Bertschy, whose term expires December 31, 2024. The ARDC has seven Commissioners, three of whom are non-lawyers. The Commissioners, who receive no compensation for their services, act as a board of directors for the agency, creating ARDC policies, overseeing their implementation, establishing an operating budget, appointing members of the ARDC’s Inquiry and Hearing Boards, and managing the Client Protection Program. Commissioners have no role in deciding cases before the ARDC.
More than 80 employees and over 100 lawyer and non-lawyer volunteers work for the ARDC. 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 ARDC offices: 130 East Randolph Drive, Suite 1500, in Chicago and 3161 West White Oaks Drive, Suite 301, in Springfield.