Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the 10th Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Suzanne L. Patton as an associate judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Patton received her undergraduate degree in 1996 from Illinois State University in Normal and her Juris Doctor in 1999 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Ms. Patton is currently affiliated with the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office in Peoria.
Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit Kenneth Deihl is pleased to announce that Springfield attorney Jennifer M. Ascher has been appointed as Associate Judge and will be assigned to Sangamon County. Ms. Ascher was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the impending retirement of Associate Judge Steven H. Nardulli. Ms. Ascher will take her oath of office and start on January 11, 2016.
Commenting on the selection, Chief Judge Kenneth Deihl states, “Ms. Ascher is a talented and respected family attorney. Her extensive trial practice and professional demeanor makes her well suited for judicial office. We look forward to her service in our justice system.”
Ms. Jennifer Ascher received her undergraduate degree in 1999 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Juris Doctor in 2003 from Saint Louis University School of Law. She is currently a partner at Sorling Northrup, where she has practiced family law nearly exclusively for the past twelve years. During her tenure, she represented clients in Sangamon County and surrounding counties. She is a Springfield native where she resides with her family.
Ms. Ascher previously served as president of the Central Illinois Women’s Bar Association and the Sangamon County Bar Association.
Illinois and Missouri litigation firm, HeplerBroom, will be joined by the Springfield-based environmental attorneys of Hodge Dwyer & Driver on January 1, 2016, as the firm expands its Springfield office. Together with its 120 attorneys situated in key jurisdictions, HeplerBroom can now add environmental legal representation to the broad services currently provided to a wide variety of clients across many industries in the Midwest.
“We grow in response to client demands for more diverse services. We’ve worked well with the firm in the past. Hodge Dwyer & Driver’s environmental regulatory and litigation skills are a natural fit as we diversify our offerings,” said Larry Hepler of HeplerBroom. “The firm brings extensive regulatory talent to bear for our clients who have operations in Illinois and Missouri or companies who are considering expanding into these states.”
Businesses are faced with the challenge of complying with extensive and complicated national, state and local environmental regulations. With the addition of Hodge Dwyer & Driver, HeplerBroom can now be in close touch with regulators in Springfield and Chicago. If disputes in any part of Illinois cannot be resolved at the agency level and litigation results, Hodge Dwyer & Driver now finds increased depth with the entire HeplerBroom litigation team.
Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Galesburg attorney Anthony W. Vaupel as a Circuit Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Mr. Vaupel was appointed by the Court to fill the vacancy created by Chief Judge James B. Stewart, who retired on October 1, 2015. His appointment takes effect December 7, 2015, and will terminate on Dec. 5, 2016, when the position is filled by the 2016 General Election.
Two area lawyers with over 40 years of combined experience have opened a law firm in downtown Champaign. Ellyn Bullock and Kristin Solberg have formed Solberg & Bullock, LLC in the old train station in Champaign at 100 N. Chestnut St., Suite 230.
Previously, Ellyn served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Harold Baker, a legal writing and research professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, and as a private practitioner in Champaign. Her practice is predominantly in the area of adoption, including international, domestic, DCFS, agency, related, independent, and contested adoptions, and she has finalized adoptions for over a thousand children in courtrooms all over Illinois.
Ellyn also represents plaintiffs in federal and state court in personal injury matters and violations of constitutional rights.
Kristin has been in private practice and concentrates in all areas of family law; criminal law; and traffic law. She does primarily contested litigation, but is trained in various forms of mediation and is one of few area Collaborative Divorce practitioners, (divorce without court intervention). She is also a Family Law Financial mediator, and a mediator for the Sixth Judicial Circuit’s Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mandatory Mediation Program.
Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court administered the attorney’s oath to 1,605 new attorneys on Thursday at five separate locations across the state.
The largest group —1,306—were admitted in the First Judicial District during two ceremonies at the Arie Crown Theater, 2301 Lake Shore Drive, in Chicago.
All of the candidates have passed the Illinois State Bar Examination and a required ethics examination and were certified by the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. They bring the total number of licensed attorneys in Illinois to approximately 96,000.
Justice Anne M. Burke presided over the 9:45 a.m. ceremony in the First District and Justice Mary Jane Theis presided over the 12:45 p.m. ceremony.
At the 9:45 a.m. ceremony, Will County Circuit Judge Richard C. Schoenstedt made the move for admission of the class. Cook County Circuit Judge Sharon M. Sullivan and Chicago attorney Stephen Stern seconded the motion. They all have children who took the attorney's oath during the ceremony.
Other guests of the morning ceremony included: Patricia Brown Holmes, president of the Chicago Bar Association; and Cook County Circuit Judge Jessica A. O'Brien, ISBA Board member and president of the Women's Bar Association.
Robert Frank Vespa, 91, died on Tuesday, October 13, 2015, in Chicago.
Robert was born on February 10, 1924, in Springfield, the son of Nicola and Teresa Frasco Vespa. He married Irma Pillischafske on April 2, 1965, in Springfield.
Robert received his law degree from St. Louis University and worked as an attorney in Springfield. He proudly served his country in the United States Navy. Robert was a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Elk's Lodge and a past president of the Eagles Club. He was an avid Cubs fan and enjoyed playing cards with friends, and spending time with his grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Marie and Viola; and three brothers, John, Roger and Joseph.
He is survived by his wife, Irma Vespa of Springfield; one son, Craig (wife, Melanie); two grandchildren, Mason and Mackenzie, all of Chicago; two sisters, Edith McCarty and Angela Elder, both of Springfield; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Cremation care was accorded prior to ceremonies.
ISBA leaders attended the 12th Annual Peoria County Bar Association Diversity Luncheon on Oct. 21 at the Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette. Bradley University Athletic Director Chris Reynolds (left) served as the keynote speaker. ISBA leaders in attendance included (from left after Reynolds) ISBA President Umberto S. Davi, ISBA Board member Sonni Choi Williams, ISBA President-elect Vincent F. Cornelius and ISBA 3rd Vice President James F. McCluskey.
Starting in November, Champaign attorney Mark C. Palmer will join the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism as its full-time Professionalism Counsel. While he will maintain an office at the Commission’s Chicago office, he primarily will be based in Champaign and serve the entire State.
Palmer will lead the development and delivery of programs state-wide on promoting integrity, professionalism and civility among Illinois lawyers and judges on behalf of the Illinois Supreme Court. His role will include collaborating with law schools, bar associations, courts, civic and lay organizations in addressing matters of professionalism, ethics, and public understanding of the legal profession.
Prior to joining the Commission, Palmer was in private practice at the Champaign law firm Evans, Froehlich, Beth & Chamley where his law practice focused on areas including commercial litigation, municipal law, banking law, and creditor’s rights, among others. He represented private and appointed clients in both civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts.
Palmer will continue his work as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois College of Law in its trial advocacy program and as a Trial Teams’ Coach since 2009. Additionally, he will stay on as an Instructor for the University of Illinois Police Training Institute where he has trained hundreds of law enforcement officers in Illinois on topics such as use of force and police liability.
John Patrick Daly, 66, of Champaign passed away at 2:39 p.m. Friday (Oct. 16, 2015) at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.
A memorial Mass will be at 11 a. m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015, at St. Mary's Church, 612 E. Park St, Champaign. A luncheon will be held after the service. Visitation will be from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Renner-Wikoff Chapel, 1900 S. Philo Road, Urbana. A private burial will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery.
John was born in Evergreen Park on Dec. 17, 1948, to parents William James and Jean Elizabeth (Carlson) Daly. On Aug. 24, 1973, John married Barbara Jones in Champaign. She survives. Also surviving is his mother, Jean of Champaign; son, Christopher Daly (Charlene Wahl) of Carbondale; brothers, William J. Daly Jr. (Diane) of Savoy and Timothy C. Daly (Kay) of Champaign; his sister, Carla M. Zych (Rob) of Champaign; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
His father, William, preceded him in death.
John was a graduate of Thornridge High School in Cook County. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, he attended Illinois State University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. John was a Champaign police officer for 10 years. He returned to school in 1983 receiving a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois in 1985. He served as an assistant state's attorney for Champaign County for 15 years, retiring in 2001. John was a member of the Champaign County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.