James C. Chiakulas, 69, of Chicago, passed away last month on the North Side. Mt. Chiakulas was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from John Marshall Law School. A lawyer and union leader, Mr. Chiakulas fought to improve the working conditions of teachers across the Chicago area. He headed a group that advocated for Greeks living under Turkish rule on the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus. He was an accomplished jazz musician, said his son-in-law, Paul Chronis. Read the full obituary in the Chicago Tribune

Longtime Peoria lawyer Sidney D. Davidson passed away on Sunday, Dec. 28, at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minn. Mr. Davidson graduated from Manual High School and Bradley University. He received his law degree from the University of Illinois in 1939. He served in the Pacific during World War II, including stints at General MacArthur's headquarters in Manila and Tokyo. He was an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association, serving as a member of its Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Section Council. Click here to read the full obituary in the Post-Bulletin.

Streator attorney Richard J. Berry, 57, died in a two-vehicle crash last night. Berry was first licensed to practice law in Illinois in 1977 and has been with the firm of Myers, Berry, O'Conor & Kuzma, which has offices in Streator and Ottawa. Berry's firm issued a statement expressing their sense of loss on Thursday morning. "The firm of Myers, Berry, O'Conor & Kuzma, Ltd. has lost a valued partner and friend in Richard J. Berry. Mr. Berry was a vigorous litigator dedicated to upholding the rights and interests of his clients. He will be missed, as will the passion he brought to all he did." Click here to read the obituary in the Ottawa Times.

D. Glenn Ofsthun, 85 of Barrington, died Dec. 9 at Brighton Gardens, Hoffman Estates. Visitation will be held on Thursday, Dec. 17, from 3-8 p.m. at Brust Funeral Home, 135 S. Main, Lombard. Mr. Ofsthun will be lying-in-state on Friday, Dec. 18, from 10 a.m. until time of funeral service at 11 a.m. at Presbyterian Church of Barrington, 6 S. Brinker Road. Internment will be held at White Memorial Cemetery, Barrington. Born in Minneapolis in 1924, Mr. Ofsthun spent his childhood in Duluth, Minn., and his summers on the family farms in Morton, Minn. He graduated valedictorian of Denfield High School in Duluth in 1941 and received a scholarship to Harvard University. During his undergraduate years, he served in the Army Air Force Meteorology program in 1943 and then in the Army Airway Communications System. When WWII ended, he completed his undergraduate degree and continued on scholarship to Harvard Law School, graduating in 1950. Mr. Ofsthun met his wife, Audrey, and married in 1951. The Ofsthuns lived in Chicago until 1955 when they moved to Mount Prospect. In 1960, they moved to the Barrington area to raise their four daughters. Glenn enjoyed golf, fishing and travel. He worked at the law firm of Lord, Bissell & Brook from 1950 until 1956 where he specialized in will, tax and corporate law, and managed complex litigation and bankruptcies. He spent the rest of his career at Rooks, Pitts, Fullager and Poust, both as a senior partner and then as the managing partner, where he specialized in corporate and business law, including counsel for several large U.S. and multi-national companies. He was perhaps the only U.S. lawyer to manage a case in front of the House of Lords in London. Mr.