Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke announced today an application process for a vacancy in the Sixth Judicial Subcircuit of Cook County.
The vacancy was created by the resignation of Circuit Judge Robert Lopez Cepero, who served as a judge since 1994. Judge Cepero's resignation took effect January 6, 2016.
The Law Offices of Amari & Locallo, which practices exclusively in the real estate taxation reduction field, with offices on Wells Street in Chicago and in Bloomingdale, IL, announces as of the first of the year, two new partners, Katherine A. O’Dell and Joseph F. Locallo III.
O’Dell received her grammar school education at Queen of All Saints in Sauganash, a graduate of Regina Dominican High School, Northern Illinois University, and The John Marshall Law School (class of 2000). A former assistant Cook County State’s Attorney for three years, Katherine has served as the Senior Associate of Amari & Locallo since 2000. Married to Jason E. O’Dell and the mother of Jason Eric O’Dell, Jr., Katherine and her family live on the northwest side of Chicago.
The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Elizabeth A. Karkula as a Circuit Judge of Cook County, at Large. This appointment is effective Jan. 19, 2016 and terminates on Dec. 3, 2018. It was created by the death of the Hon. Jean Prendergast Rooney.
Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced the addition of Elizabeth Khalil to its Government Policy & Practice Group in the firm’s Chicago office. Elizabeth will also spend time in the Washington, D.C., office, as well as in the firm’s Michigan and Texas offices. Prior to joining Dykema, she served as Acting Special Assistant to Mark Pearce, Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)’s Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection (DCP).
In her previous role, Khalil acted as a key advisor on a number of special projects and initiatives and served as a liaison within DCP, across the FDIC, and with external units. She also served as Senior Compliance Policy Analyst, where she represented the FDIC and DCP in interactions with federal and state regulators and a variety of other stakeholders, such as the financial services industry, consumer advocates, the public and the press. A significant part of her work related to community banking, including providing technical assistance and addressing issues of interest to community banks. She worked on projects with the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, including serving as chair of the interagency working group that produced the first social media-focused compliance risk management guidance issued to the banking industry.
The national law firm of Arnstein & Lehr LLP welcomes James T. Rohlfing to its Chicago office as a partner in the Litigation Practice Group and Chair of the Construction Practice Group.
“James is a superb addition to Arnstein & Lehr LLP,” said Michael Gesas, Managing Partner of Arnstein & Lehr LLP’s Chicago office. “Having James join our team enhances our capabilities in construction and litigation. We are thrilled to have him come on board.”
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Rohlfing served as President of the Illinois Mechanical & Specialty Contractor's Association (IMSCA), the largest organization of subcontractors in Illinois. He has drafted legislation on construction issues introduced in the Illinois legislature and written numerous articles relating to construction law and litigation. Additionally, he founded his own law firm and was a partner at two prominent Chicago business law firms, leading their litigation departments.”
Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP announces that three associates were recently named partners.
Patrick P. Clyder focuses his practice on Product Liability Litigation, as well as Commercial Litigation and Business Disputes. He received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2007 and his B.S. with high honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2004.
Derrick L. Haddox focuses his practice on Construction Litigation, Product Liability Litigation, Asbestos Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, and Insurance. He received his J.D. in 2007 from DePaul University College of Law and his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 2001.
Brett M. Henne focuses his practice on Medical Negligence and Healthcare, Fire and Explosion Litigation and Construction Litigation. He received his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.S. from Northeastern Illinois University in 1994.
The Judicial Council of the Seventh Circuit is seeking applicants for a bankruptcy judge position for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Applicants must also be willing to travel to other locations in the Seventh Circuit to handle cases as need arises. Interested applicants may obtain an application by accessing the Court of Appeals website at www.ca7.uscourts.gov. Persons interested in applying for this position should send their applications to:
Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, a leading personal injury and civil trial practice law firm in Chicago, proudly announces the hiring of Debra L. Thomas as attorney and continuing legal education (CLE) manager. Ms. Thomas is a third-generation lawyer with years of legal experience in the fields of criminal defense and civil litigation.
“We welcome the addition of Debra on our team and look forward to her making an immediate contribution,” said Stephan D. Blandin, Principal and Partner at Romanucci & Blandin. “Debra’s background as an educator and her significant experience in CLE coordination with the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) will be invaluable as R&B Law develops an in-house CLE program with the ultimate goal of becoming an accredited provider in 2016.”
Jenner & Block, a law firm with global reach, has elected 18 lawyers to the partnership, effective January 1, 2016. The new partners include Michele L. Slachetka in Chicago.
Michele Slachetka represents public and privately held companies in a wide range of matters including civil litigation involving breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, fraud and insurance claims, bankruptcy litigation, as well as in mediation and arbitration proceedings. In recent years, she has represented several large public companies in internal investigations and investigations initiated by the United States Department of Justice. She has significant experience in the area of attorney-client privilege and co-edits the firm’s privilege outline, Protecting Confidential Legal Information: A Handbook for Analyzing Issues Under the Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work-Product Doctrine.
Get the Illinois legislation updates you need to effectively advise your clients on important state tax issues with this three-hour seminar on January 29, 2016! Tax attorneys, CPA’s practicing state tax, and attorneys with clients that are subject to or exempt from Illinois state and local income, sales, or property tax – with intermediate practice experience – who attend this seminar will better understand: the sales, income and property tax issues still being considered by the State, Cook County, and the City of Chicago to address preexisting fiscal problems; the legislative items that state businesses support; the recent Illinois court decisions that address state and local tax issues; the property tax issues currently being considered by the Illinois General Assembly; and the income, franchise, and sales tax changes enacted during the 2015-2016 legislative session.
The program – which will be held at the ISBA Chicago Office and via Live Webcast – is presented by the ISBA State & Local Tax Section and qualifies for 3.0 hours MCLE credit.