Hundreds of student participants in the Mock Trial Program over the last 15 years have had the considerable fortune to be in the ‘courtroom’ of Judge Michael Chmiel. Judge Chmiel is an ardent supporter of law-related and civics education programs sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association and its Committee on Law Related Education for the Public (LRE), and he has volunteered countless hours toward educating the public—both at the youth and adult level—about the legal system, especially the judicial branch of government.

Judge Chmiel grew up on the southwest side of Chicago and received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Notre Dame. He attended the University of Illinois College of Law, thinking that a legal education could provide him with a valuable perspective within the business world. After law school, he practiced law in the Chicago and Rockford areas with an emphasis on commercial law, including bankruptcy and local government law. 

In 2006, he was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill a judicial vacancy in the Circuit Court of McHenry County. Today he serves as presiding judge of the civil division in the 22nd judicial circuit and presides over arbitration, probate and chancery cases. Most of his day is spent hearing cases and contested matters but he also devotes many of his lunch hours, coffee breaks and evenings to meetings and volunteer activities.

It was after his appointment to the bench that Judge Chmiel first became involved with the LRE Committee. Although he had been an ISBA member since 1991, he was looking for something bar related that would pose minimal judicial conflicts. He is currently in his second appointment cycle with the LRE Committee and served as its Chair for two years during turbulent times when budgetary concerns were threatening the continuation of the Mock Trial Invitational. Judge Chmiel’s leadership at the time significantly contributed to the ISBA’s decision to continue investing in this important program.
 
For the last several years, Judge Chmiel has served as Chair of the LRE’s Civics Education Subcommittee and was the driving force behind the initiation of the ISBA Speakers Bureau. He believes that, through participation in the classroom and the boardroom, the ISBA and the LRE Committee, along with many volunteers, are helping the community become better informed as to what attorneys and judges do and the important role which the legal system plays in governance and in the resolution of disputes and dispensing of justice for those who appear before the many courts throughout the State.

When asked what about the mock trial program has kept him volunteering for so long, Judge Chmiel believes it provides a great opportunity to show how trials are run and to stimulate interest in the legal profession through interaction with students and constructive comments from legal professionals. He says the most satisfying aspect of his involvement has been the chance to witness several students develop over the years as participants. “I feel the mock trial program impacts the lives of students who participate by providing them with a challenging, though nurturing, environment in which they can test their skills and develop their interests. I believe students can draw a true sense of what trial work involves which helps them better appreciate it as a possible career choice,” he expressed.

In his leisure time, Judge Chmiel enjoys coaching youth sports, working out, traveling, and ‘hanging’ with family and friends. But he also feels fortunate to be a lawyer and a judge and feels a responsibility to give back. As he articulated, “I feel blessed, by chance, to work in the legal profession and as a judge and desire to pay back my blessings by doing what I can for the legal profession through my work in the courtroom and through my volunteerism.” The ISBA and LRE Committee are blessed to have you, Judge Chmiel!