People

Wayne R. Luepker, 63, of Oak Park died of heart failure on July 1, 2012. Born in 1949 in Chicago, he graduated from Grinnell College in 1971 and from the University of Chicago Law School (JD) in 1979. In 1980, he joined Mayer Brown in the Employee and Benefits Group and was named a partner in 1986. While there, he actively mentored many associates, sharing his knowledge readily and selflessly throughout his career.

He was appreciated by his colleagues and clients for his thoughtfulness, generosity and intelligence. His expertise was recognized by the American Bar Association, for which he chaired the Executive Compensation Subcommittee (Section of Taxation Employee Benefits Committee) from 1999 to 2009. He was also a member of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, was recognized by Chambers as one of the top lawyers in his field, and authored a number of professional publications.

In his personal life, he served as a member of the Board of Advisors for Catholic Charities, an organization whose mission to provide compassionate services to those in need expressed his own values.

Wayne Luepker is survived by his wife, Doreen Berger; his children, Daniel and Sarah; his brother, Russell; and his nephews, Ian and Carl. His family will remember him as a gentle man of great intelligence and grace, who was a gracious and generous friend and a loving partner and father.

Adam Jeffrey Brenner, 45, was found dead Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in his Rockford home. The cause of death was heart disease and he passed quickly, perhaps in his sleep. He leaves behind memories of his capacity for love, his innate kindness, his wit and intelligence, his dedication to the law he practiced, his courage to be his own man, his disdain for those who would hurt the ones who love them.

His parents, Martin Brenner, Rockford, and Ghia and Allan Ackerman, Chicago, will miss him all the days of our lives. Also mourning his death are multiple relatives and friends who knew him for the unique and vibrant young man he was. May his energy combine with the universe to make it a better place.

Services have been held. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation of goods or money to the Rockford food pantry of your choice. In his life as a lawyer, Adam often served the poor. We think it would make him happy to know that his death helped to also feed them.

Richard S. Brennan, 74, of Amboy, died Oct. 10, 2012, after a three-week illness.

Mr. Brennan was born March 18, 1938, in St. Louis, the only son of Anna Pearl and Clarence R. Brennan. In 1963 he married Margaret (Jill) Wilson in Muskegon, Mich.

The family lived in Collinsville, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn. before settling permanently in Shorewood, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wis. Mr. Brennan received a BA from Princeton University in 1960 and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1963.

He and his wife moved to New York City where Mr. Brennan began his law career with Shearman & Sterling. Two years later they transferred to Mayer Brown in Chicago, where he continued his long career. In 1969, the family, which now included two sons, was transferred to the Paris office of Mayer Brown, where they spent three years and had one more child, a daughter.

They returned to the U.S. in 1972, but were reassigned to London, England in 1974 to move the Paris office to London. That practice, of which Mr. Brennan was the leading partner, now numbers hundreds of lawyers. Mr. Brennan returned to Chicago in 1977 and in 1982 became the General Counsel of the Continental Bank. He remained General Counsel throughout the bank's transition into Bank of America, leaving in 1994. Mr. Brennan retained Mayer Brown as his base but served as General Counsel for J.I. Case in Racine, Wis., from 1995 - 1999, when it was purchased by Fiat. He subsequently served as temporary General Counsel for Stepan Company for three years.

The law firm of Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP proudly announced Tuesday the addition of Michele M. Jochner to its legal team.  Joining the firm as a partner, she previously served as a judicial law clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Ann G. Morrow from 1987 until the Justice’s retirement from the bench in July of 2006, then serving in the same capacity to Justice Charles E. Freeman. Jochner is a recognized legal scholar, expert writer and educator to both law students and attorneys.

“It has been a true honor and privilege to have served for the past 15 years as a judicial law clerk to both Justice Mary Ann McMorrow and Justice Charles Freeman, and I sincerely thank them and the entire court for that unparalleled opportunity.  During my tenure with this State's highest tribunal, I have worked on numerous high-profile matters involving cutting-edge issues of first impression, providing me with a unique breadth and depth of experience in all areas of substantive law combined with a keen understanding of the mechanics of our courts of review,” said Jochner. “I also have a career-long commitment of service through work with bar associations, community groups and charitable organizations. In charting my next step after the Illinois Supreme Court, I looked for a firm that shares my values.  Schiller DuCanto & Fleck has an established reputation of legal excellence, professionalism and giving back to the profession and community. My hope is that my first-hand experiences and crucial insights into the State appellate court system will complement the practice.”