Allen Frederick Bennett, 74, of Windsor, Illinois and resident circuit judge of Shelby County, 4th Judicial Circuit, passed away Wednesday, Nov.29, 2017.
Allen was born in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, on August 29, 1943, to the late Leo and Donna (Hood) Bennett. The loss of Allen is deeply mourned by his wife, Tina (Lewis) Bennett; children: Tammera Kay McClendon, Allen (Christi) Bennett II, and Trina (Kevin) Bedlington; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; sisters: Katie (Byron) Cartwright, Sally (Jim) Hooten and a host of nieces and nephews.
Preceding Allen in death were his parents, Leo and Donna and his sister, Suzie (Bennett) Rudin.
Judge Bennett graduated with a business commerce degree from the University of Illinois. He attended law school at the University of Tennessee and received his J.D. in 1967. Judge Bennett was elected state's attorney in Moultrie County starting in 1968. Later he served as a public defender in Macon County. He was elected state representative from Decatur, Illinois, in 1976 serving one term. Allen also served as an assistant attorney general. Allen was a lobbyist for the Fraternal Order of Police, Troopers Lodge #41. Over the years he practiced law privately in Sullivan, Decatur, Springfield, and Shelbyville. He was elected resident circuit judge of Shelby County 4th Circuit in 2012.
People
-
December 19, 2017 |
People
-
December 18, 2017 |
People
President Russell W. Hartigan received the Light of Truth Award from the Decalogue Society of Lawyers on Thursday, Dec. 14, at the organization's annual Chanukah party in Chicago. In accepting his award, Hartigan lit a candle and provided remarks. The award was presented by the Decalogue Society of Lawyers President Mitchell Goldberg.
Other award recipients include Hon. Kim Foxx, Cook County state's attorney; Hon. Tommy Brewer, Sixth Municipal District judge; and Rabbi Andrea London, Beth Emet Synaogue.
The Decalogue Society of Lawyers is an association of attorneys of the Jewish faith. It has supported Jewish lawyers and the legal community in Chicago and throughout Illinois for over 80 years.
-
December 18, 2017 |
People
ISBA member Nancy Kasko has started her own family law practice, named the Law Offices of Nancy Kasko, LLC. Her primary office is at 4320 Winfield Road, Suite 200, Warrenville, while her secondary office is conveniently located near the courthouse in Wheaton, at 2100 Manchester Road, Building C, Suite 1608.
Nancy Kasko helps clients with a variety of issues related to divorce and family law, including:
- Division of marital property;
- Allocation of parental responsibilities;
- Child support and spousal support;
- Post-divorce enforcement and modification;
- Divorce mediation;
- Name change orders; and
- Adoption and guardianship.
Kasko earned her J.D. in 2015 from the John Marshall Law School. She had previously worked in the finance industry for Fortune 500 companies such as Hewlett Packard and Westinghouse Electric. However, she wished to pursue a career in law, as her mother had before her.
After graduation, Kasko worked as an associate attorney for a suburban Chicago firm, focusing on family law. She is certified as a mediator by the Center for Conflict Resolution and has experience resolving civil disputes in Cook County. During her career, she has accumulated several honors, including a perfect 10 rating on Avvo and being named one of the 10 Best Female Attorneys of 2017 by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys.
-
December 15, 2017 |
People
Mike G. Patramanis, 82, of Moline, Illinois, passed away Thursday, November 23, 2017, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf, Iowa, surrounded by his family.
Mike was born on December 12, 1934, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the son of George and Afrodite Ganakakis Patramanis. He graduated from McKinley High School in Cedar Rapids and subsequently from Coe College with a B.A. Degree in Political Science and Economics. While at Coe, he was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Societies. Mike was active in sports and lettered in tennis at both McKinley and Coe. After Coe, he attended the University of Iowa Law School. where he graduated in 1959 with a Juris Doctor Degree.
Mike married Vickie Leousi on June 21, 1964, in Peoria, Illinois. They were married for 53 years and had one son, Dr. George Patramanis, who was born in 1968. George and his wife, Alexia, have three daughters, who have been a joy to their Papou.
In 1959, Mike began his legal career as staff counsel for Collins Radio Company in Cedar Rapids. In 1964, he moved on to a position at the Rock Island Arsenal as a government attorney with the U.S. Army Weapons Command. During his years with the government, he worked for the various commands on the island holding positions of chief and acting chief counsel. He received numerous honors and awards including the commander’s award for Civilian Service and the award for Meritorious Civilian Service. He retired from the U.S. Army Field Support Command in June 2005 after 42 years of Government services.
-
December 15, 2017 |
People
Robert Chapman Buckley, retired Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, was born on August 14, 1923, in Canton, Illinois to Peter Mark and Marguerite nee Waugh Buckley. He died Tuesday, November 28, 2017, surrounded by family in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Justice Buckley attended St. Mel High School in Chicago. After attending Morton Junior College, Justice Buckley enlisted in the Army and immediately joined the Army Air Corps. He served as a pilot, navigator, and radar operator for the 305th Bomb Group, flying daytime raids in B-17 bombers out of Chelveston, England. He was recognized for his service with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the European Theatre Ribbon with four battle stars, and the Army Commendation Ribbon.
After the war, Justice Buckley returned home and graduated from De Paul University and then went on to Georgetown University, from which his received his Juris Doctorate degree and was a member of the legal fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. While a full-time law student, he worked nights at the U.S. Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. as a Capitol Police Officer.
The day he opened his law office in Chicago, Justice Buckley, then an Air Force reservist, was called to serve in the Korean conflict. He left once again, this time to fly jet refuelers.
-
December 15, 2017 |
People
Mark D. Paulson, 52, of Carbondale, formerly of Decatur and Chicago, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017.
Mark was a graduate of Eisenhower High School, received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a Juris Doctorate, Suma Cum Laude, from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, where he was also editor of the John Marshall Law Review. He was a proud member of the United States Army Reserves, 347th P&A Battalion, Marion, IL.
He was an attorney and partner for the Chicago law firm of Claussen Miller, P.C. for over 25 years, specializing in complex litigation, before retiring in 2016 due to health issues. He formerly worked on-air in radio news and programming in Carbondale. Mark settled back in Carbondale, in a peaceful cabin, on a serene pond, where he could fish, relax on his hammock, watch sports, play his guitar and entertain beloved friends and family.
In 2008 he published a book, 9/11 and Home, recounting his experiences after witnessing the attacks of 9/11 and being quarantined in a Newark N.J. hotel for the week afterward with thousands of stranded passengers.
-
December 15, 2017 |
People
John Anderson, a former Illinois congressman, passed away at the age of 95.
Anderson earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Illinois in 1942, and his law degree in 1946. A veteran of World War II, he received a second law degree from Harvard University when he returned hom from the war.
He practiced law in Rockford until 1952. In 1956, he was elected Winnebago County state's attorney, where he served until he won his congressional seat in 1960. He served in Congress until 1981. He sought the Republication presidential nomination in 1980, and ran against Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan as an independent.
When he left politics, he returned to the practice of law, taught, and authored books and editorials.
Anderson is survived by his wife; son John Jr.; daughters Eleanora, Diane, Karen and Susan; and 11 grandchildren.
-
December 15, 2017 |
People
James E. Chadd was appointed to the Office of the State Appellate Defender by the Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday, Dec. 14. Chadd's four-year term as state appellate defender will begin Jan. 1, 2018. He succeeds Michael Pelletier, who was appointed in 2007 and will be retiring at the end of the year.
Chadd has worked for the Office of the State Appellate Defender for over 33 years, where he has been deputy state appellate defender for four years. In this role, he was responsible for monitoring the legal work of the agency and reviewing agency briefs filed in the Illinois Supreme Court.
He was selected by a screening committee, which was appointed by the supreme court in September and was directed to make a public announcement of the vacancy and invite applications.
Chadd first started with the Office of the State Appellate Defender in 1984, as an assistant defender in the Supreme Court Unit in 1984. In 1989, he moved to the First District Office and in 1995 served as team leader in addition to his assistant defender duties. He became supervisor for the First District Office in 2002 and served as assistant deputy defender before becoming deputy state appellate defender.
He earned his B.A. at the University of Oregon and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
-
December 14, 2017 |
People
Elizabeth "Liz" Elaine Westbrooks of Greenville, Illinois, was born on November 17, 1984 in Greenville, and passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully and surrounded by those that loved her most, on November 15, 2017.
After attending Greenville Elementary School and Bond County Community Unit #2 High School, Elizabeth went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in English from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville in 2007. She then attended law school and graduated from the University of Missouri in 2010.
Elizabeth was a respected attorney and earned the admiration of her colleagues through her hard work and dedication to her craft. She began her legal career at Bryan Cave, where she worked briefly in the eDiscovery Department. Following her time there, she was an Associate first at Boggs Avellino Lach & Boggs and later at Weidner & McAuliffe between 2011 and 2013. Her early career focus was as a litigator defending insurance companies. Elizabeth then returned to Bryan Cave to serve as a Conflicts Attorney from 2013 through 2016. While there, she excelled in identifying ethics issues and provided attorneys with solutions to resolve conflicts of interest related to new representations. In late 2016, Elizabeth joined Thompson Coburn as Loss Prevention Counsel, where she collaborated with the General Counsel and the Loss Prevention Partners to resolve potential and actual conflicts of interest related to both new representations and incoming firm employees.
-
December 11, 2017 |
People
Past President Vincent Cornelius has been recognized in the 2018 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America.” Cornelius is recognized in the practice area of criminal defense.
Best Lawyers is a peer review publication that annually compiles a list of the top five percent of practicing attorneys, organized by location and practice area. The publication conducted more than 7.4 million evaluations for the 2018 edition and chose approximately 58,000 attorneys in 140 practice areas.
Cornelius is the founder of the Law Offices of Vincent F. Cornelius, with locations in Joliet and Wheaton, Illinois. He has more than 28 years of experience in criminal law, currently as a defense attorney and previously as a prosecutor. He recently announced his candidacy for Will County Circuit Court Judge in the upcoming 2018 election.
Cornelius served as president of the Illinois State Bar Association for 2016-17. He was the first African-American president in the association’s 140-year history. During his career, he has also served as:
president of the Illinois Bar Foundation; chancellor of the Illinois Academy of Lawyers; and member of the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Law Reform.