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Southern Illinois

  • March 28, 2017 | People
    U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois Seeks Judicial Law Clerk

    The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois is seeking a full-time term judicial law clerk to United States Magistrate Judge Clifford J. Proud in East St. Louis, Illinois. Responsibilities include reviewing legal submissions, performing legal research, preparing bench memoranda, and drafting orders and opinions addressing a wide assortment of issues arising in civil and criminal litigation. The selected candidate will also perform case management through the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system, and perform office functions such as editing, proofreading, telephone communications, written correspondence, and scheduling. 

    This position is for one year with the possibility of extension (not to exceed four years) and is available in April/May 2017. The applicant must be a law school graduate (or awaiting conferment of degree) from a law school approved by the American Bar Association or the Association of American Law Schools and have demonstrated one of the following accomplishments or proficiencies:

    • Standing within the upper third of the law school class;
    • Experience on the editorial board of a law review of such a school;
    • Graduation from such a school with an LLM degree; or
    • Proficiency in legal studies which, in the opinion of the judge, is the equivalent of one of the above.

    Familiarity with social security disability and/or habeas corpus law is preferred.

    The application deadline is Friday, April 14, 2017 at 12:00 pm. For additional information, visit the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois website. 

  • March 20, 2017 | People
    David C. Johnson 1937-2017

    David C. Johnson, 79, died Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, in Carbondale. He was born Dec. 11, 1937, in Finley, North Dakota, to Ben and Mabel (Carlson) Johnson.

    He graduated from Finley High School in 1955 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959 from the University of North Dakota. He also was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Army. David became a certified public accountant in 1960 and earned a Juris Doctorate degree in 1961 from University of North Dakota, where he was editor-in-chief of North Dakota Law Review. He earned the Masters of Law degree from University of Pennsylvania in 1964.

    David married Karen Erdman on Sept. 9, 1962, in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Willow City, North Dakota. They made their first home at Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia, and subsequently lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Decatur, Georgia; and Norman, Oklahoma, until moving to Carbondale in 1975. Karen died on June 23, 2016.

    David taught law for 40 years; first at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1964 to 1971; then at University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, from 1971 to 1975. He joined the School of Law at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1975 as a member of the founding faculty. His teaching areas were tax law, estate planning and property law. He served five years as associate dean at the law school, and was a member of the Morris Library Friends and the Board of Visitors, which was instrumental in initiating the 2009-11 renovation and rebuilding of Morris Library. He was a past president and strong friend of the University Library support group.

  • February 22, 2017 | People
    Overstreet assigned to Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District

    The Illinois Supreme Court has assigned Mt. Vernon resident and Second Judicial Circuit Judge David K. Overstreet to the Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District. He fills the vacancy created when Justice James R. Moore, who previously held the post, was elected to the fifth district court in November. The assignment takes effect February 27 and continues until further order of the court.

  • February 12, 2017 | People
    Dugan appointed resident circuit judge of Madison County

    Effective March 3, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed David W. Dugan  to fill the Third Judicial Circuit Court vacancy created by the election of the Hon. John B. Barberis, Jr. to the fifth district appellate court. The appointment terminates December 3, 2018.

  • February 9, 2017 | People
    Welby appointed federal public defender for the Southern District of Illinois

    Chief Judge Diane P. Wood of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently announced the appointment of Stephen R. Welby as Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Illinois headquartered at East St. Louis.

    Welby earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and his law degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri where he was on the Washington University Law Review and the Jessup International Moot Court team. He was both Order of the Coif and Order of the Barristers. He is admitted to practice law in Illinois and Missouri.

    He has been in private practice focusing on criminal law for the last 13 years. Prior to that he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri.

    Welby has been a guest lecturer in ethics classes at Washington University School of Law and at the FBI Academy in Quantico. He is on the Criminal Justice Act panel of lawyers for the United States District Courts for the Southern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of Missouri. He has been on the planning committee for the Eastern Missouri Criminal Justice Act Panel Annual Training Seminar and was a past Member of the Eastern Missouri Magistrate Judge Selection Panel.

    He is a member of the Illinois Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, National Associations of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and National Trial Lawyers. He has served as district chairperson and member of the board of directors for the Boy Scouts and was involved in starting five new Cub Scout packs in economically-challenged areas of St. Louis.

  • January 18, 2017 | Practice News
    Illinois associate judge appointed in the First Judicial Circuit

    Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced that the First Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Michael A. Fiello as an associate judge of the First Judicial Circuit.

  • November 8, 2016 | Practice News
    1,374 new attorneys admitted to practice in Illinois

    Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court administered the attorney’s oath to 1,374 new attorneys on Thursday, November 10, at five separate locations across the state.

    The largest group, 1,121, was admitted in the First Judicial District during two ceremonies at Arie Crown Theater, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. The ceremonies were at 9:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. 

    All of the candidates sworn in have passed the Illinois State Bar Examination and a required ethics examination and were certified by the Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. They bring the total number of licensed attorneys in Illinois to approximately 96,300.

    1 comment (Most recent November 11, 2016)
  • October 31, 2016 | People
    Melissa Greathouse named Executive Director of Dispute Resolution Institute

    The Board of Directors of Dispute Resolution Institute, Inc. (DRI), based in Carbondale, Illinois, is pleased to announce that it has selected Melissa (Missy) Greathouse to become its new Executive Director, effective immediately.  Greathouse will replace Mary Rudasill, who is retiring after founding DRI and serving for many successful years as its Executive Director.  The Board expresses its appreciation to Rudasill for her leadership and dedication to DRI.

    “We are excited to welcome Missy into this new role.  As Executive Director, she will provide strong and innovative leadership for DRI’s mediation programs in Southern Illinois and the Metro East regions and continue to build positive relationships and expand DRI’s programs and funding sources,” says DRI Board President Sarah Taylor.  Greathouse has worked for DRI since 2009, most recently serving as Program Administrator for DRI’s mediation programs.

  • October 27, 2016 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court appoints Marion attorney to fill resident circuit judge vacancy in 1st Judicial Circuit

    Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Marion attorney John W. Sanders as the Resident Circuit Judge of Williamson County in the First Judicial Circuit.

    Mr. Sanders was appointed Thursday to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of resident Circuit Judge Carolyn Smoot, effective November 30, 2016.

    The appointment of Mr. Sanders takes effect on December 1, 2016, and will conclude on December 3, 2018, when the vacancy will be filled by the winner of the November 2018 general election.

    "I'm honored that Chief Justice Karmeier and the Supreme Court have the confidence in me to serve as a Circuit Judge," Sanders said. "I've had the pleasure to represent clients throughout Southern Illinois for the past 28 years. I now look forward to working with the other judges to serve the people of Williamson County and the First Judicial Circuit."

  • October 11, 2016 | People
    Embrich joins Sherer Law Offices

    Sherer Law Offices is pleased to announce the addition of our new associate attorney, M. Caitlin Embrich, to our practice.

    "I am thrilled to join the team at Sherer Law Offices and have the opportunity to work with Barb Sherer.  I truly enjoy helping clients through some of the most important times in their lives and I look forward to continuing to serve those in our community."

    Caitlin is a graduate of Althoff Catholic High School, Belleville, IL.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Louis University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Business administration.