ISBA Past President Tom Leahy, 62, of Chicago and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, died Saturday, August 23 after a short and valiant struggle with cancer. He served as ISBA President from 1993-1994 and as Chairman of ISBA Mutual Insurance Company from 1995-1996. Visitation will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28 at St. Clement Church, 642 W. Deming Pl., Chicago until celebration of Life Mass at noon. Private interment at Graceland Cemetery will take place at a later date

A graduate of Highland Park High School, University of Notre Dame and Loyola University School of Law, Chicago, Tom was a practicing trial lawyer specializing in plaintiffs' personal injury for over 35 years. During law school, Mr. Leahy worked for the personal injury defense firm of Clausen, Miller, Gorman, Caffrey & Witous and the plaintiff personal injury firm of Philip H. Corboy & Associates. Mr. Leahy became an associate attorney at the Corboy firm after graduation and remained there until he left to start his own firm in 1980, The Law Office of Tom Leahy. In 2002 he joined with Peter Hoste to form his Chicago law firm, Leahy & Hoste.

During the 1980s Mr. Leahy became increasingly involved in the Illinois State Bar Association. He served as the elected young lawyer delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates for 10 years, participating in the adoption of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Later, Mr. Leahy became interested in the field of legal education and organized the Illinois State Bar Association effort to modify the Standards for Legal Education to require law schools to better train law students for the practice of law. Leahy led the effort to mandate clinical education programs for all law schools, and through his efforts and the efforts of the Illinois State Bar Association all law schools were required to implement clinical programs, largely for the benefit those in the community who were unable to afford legal services.

In 1993, Mr. Leahy was elected President of the Illinois State Bar Association where he organized and led efforts to provide legal assistance to the flood ravaged communities of western Illinois during the great spring flood of 1994. Mr. Leahy organized and directed meetings in many hard hit locations where state bar attorneys assisted those who had lost homes and property make claims under the Federal Emergency Management Act.

Insisting that all state bar committees have at least one minority or female officer, Mr. Leahy actively promoted the bar effort to diversify bar leadership in Illinois. He was awarded the Glass Ceiling Buster Award by the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers for this and other achievements.

In 1995, Mr. Leahy became Chairman of the Illinois State Bar Association's Mutual Insurance Company, where he continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors and Claims Committee.

Mr. Leahy was born December 3, 1951 to the late William Soran and Lucene (nee Bartelman) in Highland Park, IL. He was the beloved husband of Gaile Beaurline and loving father of Taylor Susan. He is also survived by siblings Susan (Richard Volkmann), William Soran, Jr. (Sue Bale), David (Aaris), Brian and many devoted nieces and nephews.

Donations in lieu of flowers to Catholic Relief Services (crs.org) or Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.com) would be greatly appreciated. Funeral info: Ewald-Barlock Funeral Home, 773-549-0098 or www.ewaldbarlockfuneralhome.com