[caption id="attachment_14672" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Patrick Chavez"][/caption]
Williams Venker & Sanders partner, Patrick Chavez (pchavez@wvslaw.com) was recently presented with the Commitment to Diversity Award at the 3rd Annual St. Louis Diversity Job Fair, held Aug. 23. Patrick gave the event’s keynote address, “Increasing Diversity in the Bar by Emphasizing Professionalism” to an audience comprised of law students and individuals from law firms, corporations and government agencies. As a Co-chair of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Minorities in the Legal Profession Committee, Patrick has demonstrated a commitment to educate St. Louis-area law firms on the importance of increasing diversity within their ranks. He regularly lectures to law students and lawyers and is a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Located in St. Louis, Williams Venker & Sanders LLC is one of the Midwest’s leading trial law firms. For more information, visit www.wvslaw.com.
People
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September 21, 2010 |
People
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September 17, 2010 |
People
Daniel Chobot, 58, of Arlington Heights, passed away in his home on Saturday, Sept. 11. Mr. Chobot was an active member and past president of the Bohemian Lawyers Association of Chicago and practiced law in Cook County for 31 years. He was also a Harley rider, a founding member of the Chicago Horsemen, a contender in the World Series of Poker, a traveler, and a golfer. Dan was smart, funny, charming, and loved life. He was born in Chicago to Al and Elaine Chobot on January 2nd, 1952. He was the beloved husband of Brigitte, proud father of Vanessa, proud father to Heidi (Inman) and son-in-law Kevin (Inman), grandfather of Mason and Aidan (Inman), brother of Barb (Butzen), and brother to Guy (Herbert). Services have been held.
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September 16, 2010 |
People
[caption id="attachment_14612" align="alignright" width="138" caption="Molly McBride"][/caption] Molly Ann (Bollman) McBride, 38, of St. Louis, formerly of Peoria, died suddenly on Monday, Sept. 13, 2010, in St. Louis. Mrs. McBride earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and a law degree from St. Louis University. She worked as an insurance defense attorney at Kortenhof McGlynn LLC for about nine years. She was born Aug. 2, 1972. She was the beloved wife of Matthew S. McBride; loving mother of Kelsea Elizabeth and Ansleigh Catherine McBride; dear daughter of Dale G. and Barbara E. Bollman; dear sister of Suzanne Ellen Brown and Matthew Arthur (Sarah) Bollman; dear aunt of Colby Brown; dear daughter-in-law of Cliff and Cheryl McBride; our dear niece, great-niece, cousin and friend. Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, at Kutis City Chapel, 2906 Gravois, St. Louis. Additional visitation will be from 9 a.m. until the 10 a.m. service Saturday at Lafayette Park United Methodist Church, 2300 Lafayette Ave., St. Louis. Interment will be in St. Paul Churchyard. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Kelsea and Ansleigh McBride Education Contribution Fund, c/o Regions Bank, or Lafayette Park United Methodist Church will be appreciated.
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September 15, 2010 |
People
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is pleased to announce that William P. Hunt III has joined the firm’s Chicago office as special counsel. As a member of the Telecommunications Practice Group, which is among the largest telecommunications practices in the United States, Mr. Hunt represents clients in regulatory and compliance proceedings, in private litigation, and in corporate transactions, including inter-carrier negotiations. Mr. Hunt was formerly vice president of Level 3 Communications, Inc., an Internet and telecommunications company, where he was responsible for public policy initiatives. He assessed the impact of telecommunications and Internet policies on the company, and designed corporate policies and strategies across business units. Mr. Hunt ensured compliance with state and federal regulations, managed litigation and advised on mergers and acquisitions. He also managed company relations with the U.S. Congress, the Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, state lawmakers, state public utility commissioners, foreign regulators and industry organizations. Highlights of Mr. Hunt’s recent legal accomplishments include leading industry efforts to revise FCC regulatory fees on private submarine cable operators from revenue to flat-fee assessment; and spearheading an industry group’s negotiated plan to reform intercarrier compensation and universal service. Prior to law school, Mr. Hunt held editorial positions at two large daily newspapers in New England.
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September 13, 2010 |
People
[caption id="attachment_14473" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Michele Jochner"][/caption] At the recent Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, annual convention, Michele M. Jochner, Justice of the Chicago Alumni Chapter, was honored with the Fraternity's "Outstanding Alumni Chapter Justice Award," in recognition of her leadership and vision in promoting the Fraternity's core value of service to the profession and the community. In addition, under her guidance, the Chicago Alumni Chapter was also named the Fraternity's "Outstanding Alumni Chapter" for 2010. Michele, a past member of the ISBA Board of Governors and 2006-2007 ISBA Secretary, also continues to write on various legal issues, and has recently been published in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and the CBA Record. In addition, she has also been a speaker at a number of legal seminars across the state.
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September 9, 2010 |
People
[caption id="attachment_14425" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Don Schwartz"][/caption] In a surprise move less than a month after his retirement from Latham & Watkins, finance law heavyweight Donald L. Schwartz announced he is coming out of retirement to lead a market expansion effort at Chicago’s Ungaretti & Harris. Schwartz played key roles in the explosive growth of the finance practices at Sidley & Austin and Latham & Watkins. He plans to draw on that experience at Ungaretti, a mid-sized firm based in Chicago. “Sidley’s creditors’ rights group was only six lawyers when I arrived there as a young associate in 1974, and Latham didn’t even have a finance department or any lending clients on their top 100 client list back in 1988,” Schwartz said. “Our practice at Ungaretti already represents major financial institutions as well as smaller banks. The firm clearly understands the huge opportunity that is developing in middle market lending, and its commitment to building a leading-edge practice in that area was a critical factor in my decision to join Ungaretti.” Schwartz chairs Ungaretti’s newly formed Finance and Restructuring practice.
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September 9, 2010 |
People
James T. Foley, 79, died on Aug. 18 at his Bloomington home. Mr. Foley was born April 2, 1931, in Chicago, the son of Thomas and Emily Golden Foley. He married Corrine Osterland on Feb. 7, 1959, in Chicago. She survives. He graduated from St. Leo High School and the University of Notre Dame in 1953. He served with the U.S. Army in Germany and graduated from the DePaul Law School in 1958. Mr. Foley moved to Bloomington in 1959 and joined the Livingston-Barger-Brandt-Slater-Schroeder Law Firm, where he later became a partner. He practiced law in Bloomington-Normal for over 50 years and was a past city attorney, a public administrator and had served as a special assistant attorney general for the State of Illinois. His professional memberships include the McLean County Bar Association of which he was a past president, the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He was the former McLean County Democratic Party chairman. Mr. Foley was a member of St. Patrick Church of Merna, Bloomington; Lakeside Country Club; the CCHS Booster Club; and Father John D. Ring Knights of Columbus Council 574. He was a 4th Degree Knight. He was a devoted fan of Notre Dame, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bears.
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September 1, 2010 |
People
[caption id="attachment_14344" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Andrew Mitchell"][/caption] The law firm of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. is pleased to announce Andrew M. Mitchell has joined the Firm’s Trusts and Estates Practice Group as an Associate. Mitchell represents clients in a broad range of estate planning matters. In particular, he assists clients with estate and trust planning, focusing on protecting family wealth and advising clients on prudently transferring wealth to younger generations or charities. He is also experienced in the administration of trusts and estates. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to addressing the income, estate, generation-skipping transfer and gift tax issues relative to the estate planning, probate and trust administration projects in which he is involved. Mitchell received his Juris Doctorate from University of Kentucky College of Law in 2006. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St.
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August 30, 2010 |
People
ISBA Laureate Award winner Joseph R. Bartylak of Alton passed away on Thursday, Aug. 26, after suffering from pneumonia. Mr. Bartylak joined the staff of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation when it was founded in 1972. He had been staff attorney of the Legal Services Society of Madison County, one of seven organizations that combined to form LLLAF. Bartylak became the agency's executive director in 1976 and served for 27 years. He was at the helm while Land of Lincoln expanded into 65 southern Illinois counties and established several regional offices throughout its 33,OOO-square-mile service area. A 1947 graduate of the Washington University School of Law, Bartylak has been an advocate for legal services to the poor for most of his 58 years in practice. He retired from Land of Lincoln in 2003, but continued to serve the profession as the first downstate associate director of the Lawyers' Assistance Program. A past president of LAP who has served on its board for 25 years, Bartylak was a member of the ISBA Assembly and a past chair of the Committee on Delivery of Legal Services and the Committee on Public Relations. He was a Charter Fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation, a trustee of the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice, and a past president of the Madison County Bar Association. Bartylak has received the Charles Dorsey Award from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the Lovejoy Human Rights Award, a Distinguished Service Award from the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, and the Carl H. Rolewick Award from the Lawyers' Assistance Program. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 1:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Alton.
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August 30, 2010 |
People
Thomas Leavens and Jerry Glover (at right), partners in Leavens, Strand & Glover, LLC, were among four entertainment and intellectual property lawyers who spoke at Chicago Theater (anti-) Conference on Sunday, August 22 at Theatre Wit on Chicago’s North Side. Marci Rolnik (center), legal director of Lawyers for the Creative Arts, moderated the discussion, which also included panelists (at left) Alan Salzenstein, a law professor at DePaul University, and Jeffrey Marks, an intellectual property attorney in private practice. The two-day conference, for representatives of young theater arts organizations, included presentations on the legal, marketing and fundraising issues facing Chicago theaters.