The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the appointment of Philip J. Fowler as a Circuit Judge in the 4th Subcircuit of Cook County.

Mr. Fowler was appointed to fill the 4th Subcircuit vacancy created by the Honorable Edward J. King’s decision not to seek retention. The appointment is effective May 5, 2023, and will conclude December 2, 2024, following the November 2024 general election. 

Mr. Fowler has over 35 years of litigation practice experience in Chicago, most recently as an associate attorney at Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC, where he has worked since 2015. He has spent his career in private law firms handling a diverse range of civil litigation, including personal injury, civil rights, and commercial cases, as well as the area of legal ethics. He has represented attorneys before the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, has advised law firms on legal ethics and professional liability, and has testified as an expert witness on legal ethics. He has also dedicated himself over the last 35 years to protecting the legal rights of wards of the Department of Children and Family Services. 

“I would like to thank the Justices of the Supreme Court for this appointment,” said Fowler. “I am excited to serve the people of Cook County and committed to working hard to ensure that the trust the Court has shown in me is continuously earned each and every day.” 

Mr. Fowler earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and received his Juris Doctor from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. 

Mr. Fowler has sat on the boards of the Foundation Board of the Special Olympics of Illinois, the International Organization of Adolescents (which combats the human trafficking of teens throughout the world), and the Catholic Lawyer’s Guild.