Vincent F. Cornelius

ISBA President Vincent F. Cornelius will receive the NIU College of Law Alumnus of the Year Award on Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 5:30-7:30 at the University Club of Chicago. Northern Illinois University College of Law Dean Eric Dannenmaier and the NIU Law Alumni Council will honor eight outstanding alumni and friends of the school during its annual awards reception.

The 2016 award recipients were selected based on outstanding achievements in their careers, demonstrated service to the NIU College of Law or their community, and professional integrity.

The program will feature brief remarks beginning at 6 p.m. from the award recipients.

The 2016 honorees include:

Northern Illinois University College of Law is hosting a reception to honor ISBA President and NIU Law alumnus Vincent F. Cornelius (’89). Cornelius, the principal of the Law Offices of Vincent F. Cornelius - with offices in Wheaton and Joliet - concentrates his practice in civil and criminal litigation. A major focus of Cornelius' year as president will be the future of young lawyers and preparing them for the profession.

Date and Time

• Wednesday, August 24, 2016
• 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Location

• NIU College of Law
• Marshall Gallery
• DeKalb, IL

Complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

RSVP

Please rsvp to lawevents@niu.edu by August 18

Looking out the windows of his 7th floor corner office in downtown Joliet, ISBA President Vincent F. Cornelius is surrounded by his roots.

Cornelius can stand in one spot and point to Washington Junior High School, which he attended and where his mother taught for 34 years; out another window is the former location of Joliet Catholic High School, where he graduated in 1982 and which has since merged with sister school Saint Francis Academy; and at a slightly different angle is the University of Saint Francis, where he graduated in 1986 as an Academic All-American basketball player.

Cornelius - whose agenda as ISBA president includes working to brighten the future of young lawyers, advocating for diversity and inclusion in the profession, and offering relevant continuing legal education for small-firm members - says he once set foot in his office when it housed another firm and had his eyes on it for awhile.

"I wanted this suite because the space and all of [the surroundings] meant so much to me," he says. "I can kind of walk all around my suite here and see all over town - the neighborhoods that I lived in, the memories that I had."

Read more about President Cornelius and his plans for the coming bar year in the July Illinois Bar Journal.

Daniel N. Hoffman, chief of police of the Campton Hills Police Department, received a 2014 ISBA Law on June 5, during a luncheon of the Kane County’s Mental Health Protocol Committee at the Kane County Judicial Center. ISBA 3rd Vice President Vincent F. Cornelius was on hand to present the award.

Chief Hoffman was nominated by Judith W. Brawka, chief judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit in Kane County.

The ISBA’s Law Enforcement Award was created to recognize sworn law enforcement officers for conduct that promotes justice and to distinguish those individuals whose service to the public brings honor and respect to the entire criminal justice system. It is given to recognize those who truly excel in the field of law enforcement. In addition to Chief Hoffman, four other law enforcement officers from judicial districts throughout Illinois will be honored.

Chief Hoffman was recognized for an entire career devoted to community safety and service, initially as a commander in the Aurora Police Department and more recently, in Campton Hills. As a member of the Kane County Mental Health Task Force, he helped develop Crises Intervention Team protocols and training, which give first responders the tools to calm persons in a mental health crisis.