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  • November 14, 2013 | People
    Longtime ISBA Legislative Counsel Daniel Houlihan passes away

    Daniel L. Houlihan, of Wilmette, formerly of Beverly, and summer resident of Long Beach, Indiana, passed away on Tuesday night. Dan was a prominent zoning attorney who began his career as an Assistant State’s Attorney, served as an Illinois State Representative and longtime Legislative Counsel for ISBA.

    Dan was a long-standing Board of Director Member for Misericordia Heart of Mercy, and a member of Catholic Charities Advisory Board.

    Visitation will be held on Friday, November 15 from 2:00 PM until 9:00 PM at Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Boulevard at Old Orchard Road, Skokie.  Funeral will be held on Saturday, November 16 at 10:00 AM at St. Francis Xavier Church, 9th and Linden, Wilmette.

  • November 8, 2013 | People
    Nussbaumer joines Williams Venker & Sanders as Of Counsel

    Williams Venker & Sanders LLC is pleased to announce the addition of Kenneth M. Nussbaumer as Of Counsel to their highly regarded asbestos team.

    Ken has over 20 years of experience in personal injury litigation including cases in product liability, toxic torts and insurance defense. A graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Law, Nussbaumer has defended cases throughout southern Illinois and Missouri. His primary area of practice is the defense of asbestos and benzene cases.

    About Williams Venker & Sanders LLC: Located in St. Louis, Missouri, Williams Venker & Sanders LLC is one of the Midwest’s leading trial law firms. The firm is committed to timely service and the aggressive defense of clients, both inside and outside the courtroom. Providing focused, comprehensive strategies designed to achieve the best possible result, the firm’s lawyers represent clients in legal matters ranging from commercial litigation, employment law and health care law to personal injury, product liability and toxic tort litigation. For more information, visit www.wvslaw.com.

  • November 7, 2013 | People
    Robert S. Atkins 1931-2013

    Robert Sheldon Atkins, 81, a long-time Chicago litigator and public servant who argued one case before the U.S. Supreme Court, died on Oct. 20. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and State of Illinois Assistant Attorney General, prosecuting white collar crime, price-fixing, and big business conspiracies. After establishing and leading the state's anti-trust division, the Chicago Sun Times called him (at 5'8) "a little giant-killer."

    As a private litigator for three decades, Atkins worked with the Better Government Association, fighting corruption in Chicago and Illinois politics and government. Upon his retirement in recent years, Atkins taught constitutional law to elementary school students and presented himself as an inveterate letter-writer and gadfly in the Evanston community where he and his beloved wife, Patricia "Patty" Atkins made their home the past half-century.

    Son of Allen and Hattie Atkins, he grew up in Chicago, graduated from Senn High School, University of Wisconsin, and Northwestern University Law School. As a prodigious teenage violinist, Atkins once won the Morris B. Sachs Amateur Hour (the Chicagoland "American Idol" of its time) and was the concertmaster of his high school orchestra. After a hiatus, he performed various violin recitals on the North Shore for the past 30 years.

  • November 6, 2013 | People
    Crawford, Riley-Vargas promoted to shareholder at Polsinelli

    Polsinelli congratulates John F. Crawford and Rebecca C. Riley-Vargas, who have been elected to shareholder in the firm's Chicago office. The pair were among 33 promoted attorneys nationwide.

    “The professional achievements and excellent work by these attorneys support our firm’s dedication to providing our clients with practical legal guidance for better business decisions,” said Polsinelli Chairman Russ Welsh. “We are pleased to acknowledge our new shareholders' successes.”

    The promotions to shareholder are occurring during an exciting period of growth for Polsinelli. In 2013, the firm added 104 attorneys nationwide to help meet client needs. The firm also expanded with a new office and team in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Five years in a row Polsinelli has been ranked the fastest growing law firm in America by The American Lawyer. Polsinelli focuses on finding practical solutions for clients in health care, financial services, real estate, life sciences and technology, energy and business litigation matters.

    Chicago

    • John F. Crawford– Nonprofit Organizations. He earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri, 2005.
    • Rebecca C. Riley-Vargas –Science & Technology. She earned her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, 2007.
  • November 6, 2013 | People
    Howard & Howard welcomes Michael J. Gilmartin to Chicago office

    Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC is pleased to announce that Michael J. Gilmartin has joined the firm.  He will practice out of the firm’s Chicago Office.

  • November 5, 2013 | People
    Nancy Piña selected 1st Rodriguez Scholarship Recipient at John Marshall

    Nancy Piña, a first-generation American with a passion for real estate law, has been presented with a scholarship honoring The John Marshall Law School’s first Hispanic graduate.

    To celebrate John Marshall’s legacy of diversity, the law school established the William E. Rodriguez Memorial Scholarship in November 2012. Ricardo Meza (JD ’90) and Joan Pantsios (JD ’75), two of the first donors to the scholarship, met with Piña at a recent luncheon honoring scholarship donors and recipients. Meza is executive inspector general for the State of Illinois.  Pantsios’ aunt was at one time married to Rodriguez.

  • November 1, 2013 | People
    Rudolph Kaplan offices now at 20 N. Clark

    The Rudolph Kaplan law firm has moved its offices to 20 N. Clark in Chicago. The firm, headed by David Rudolph and Seth Kaplan, provides legal services to individuals and businesses throughout the Chicago area. It has a diverse practice concentrated in all aspects of business and real estate law – both transactional and litigation.

    The new address is 20 N. Clark, Ste. 2500, Chicago, IL and more information on the firm is available at rudolphkaplan.com.

  • October 29, 2013 | People
    Durcan joins Carmen D. Caruso Law Firm as Of Counsel

    Experienced Chicago commercial litigator, Christopher Durcan, joins the Carmen D. Caruso Law Firm. Durcan will be Of Counsel with the Firm and will work with Carmen Caruso and the other members of the Firm on a variety of cases as he grows his commercial litigation practice.

    Previously, Durcan practiced with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP and Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd, LLP where he defended corporate clients in nationwide class actions and gained favorable outcomes in complex litigation issues for small, mid-size and Fortune 500 companies. He also has a proven track record of specialized insurance and reinsurance litigation and arbitration focusing on contract disputes.

    Durcan, an alumnus of University of Chicago Law School, has been practicing law for 10 years. Earlier in his career, he honed a strong understanding of business and gained consulting and project management skills at top tier consulting firms Ernst & Young and Hewitt Associates.

    Durcan is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and the McHenry County Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in Illinois.

    Durcan resides in Crystal Lake with his wife Martha and their two children, Matilda and James.

  • October 29, 2013 | People
    Hon. Robert Scott 1923-2013

    The Hon. Robert Clement Scott, 90, of Fort Lauderdale, passed away on Oct. 2.

    Born April 8, 1923, and raised in Chicago, he attended Mae McMillan School in Fort Lauderdale in 1937-38, and graduated from St. Ignatius High School in Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

    Judge Scott was an infantry combat veteran of World War II who received the Bronze Star. After practicing law in Chicago, he moved to Ft. Lauderdale in 1951, where he met his wife, the former Mary Louisa Smith.

    He was an early president of the Notre Dame Club of Fort Lauderdale, a 60-year member of The Florida Bar, and three- term member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors, a Fellow in the American College of Probate Counsel, and from 1982 to 1993 a Circuit Judge for Broward County. But, most important, he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

  • October 24, 2013 | People
    Sean Patrick O'Brien 1976-2013

    Sean Patrick O’Brien, 37, of Morton Grove, passed away suddenly and tragically in a car accident on Sept. 22, 2013.  

    Sean was very close to his family, extended family, and friends. He received his double Bachelor’s degree from  Illinois State University.  His master’s degree in Political Science from University of Illinois and then he went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton law school.  Shortly after law school Sean began a career working at the Illinois Department of Criminal Justice Information Authority where he is well respected amongst his peers. One of his main contributions was developing an organizational model of their system in which many states throughout the country have implemented.

    He is survived by his beloved wife and soul mate  Lisa ( Weiland) O'Brien.  Beloved oldest son of John and Linda O’Brien.  Loving brother of Erin (Brent) Eggleston, Moreen (Jacob) Lusk and Kevin “Shorty” O’Brien.  Adored uncle of Isabelle and Matthew Eggleston, Ethan Lusk and Brandon and Jeremy Flores.  Dear son in law of Pam (and the late Steven) Weiland.  Fond brother in law of Karyn Weiland Flores.  Loved nephew of Richard and Colleen Atwood and Greg and Mary O'Brien. 

    Charitable donations may be made in Sean's memory to the following organization:

    Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Illinois Chapter