Distinguished lawyers honored at Awards Luncheon

The Illinois State Bar Association presented awards in several categories at the Awards Luncheon on Friday at the Annual Meeting in St. Louis. President John O’Brien honored the following recipients (click here to view a photo gallery from this event): The Board of Governors Award was presented to Hon. Thomas R. Fitzgerald, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court; Hon. Alexander P. White, Cook County Circuit Judge and Sonni C. Williams, attorney for the City of Peoria and chair of the Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law. The Matthew Maloney Tradition of Excellence Award was given to Langdon D. Neal, Chairman of the Chicago Board of Elections and principal and owner of Neal & Leroy, LLC, one of the oldest minority-owned and operated law firms in the U.S. Lawrence A. Wojcik of DLA Piper and attorneys from Caterpillar Inc. received John C. McAndrews Pro Bono Service Awards. State Rep. Greg Harris received the Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Committee Community Leadership Award. Gina Arquilla DeBoni, a member of the ISBA Board of Governors and managing attorney of Romanucci and Blandin, LLC, and Diana M. Law, managing partner of Law ElderLaw LLP, received ISBA Young Lawyer of the Year Awards. This year’s YLD/Law Student Division Public Service Award was presented to DePaul Law Student Jennifer Grobelski. Winners in the Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest include: Geoffrey T. Burkhart, Samuel G. Wiczorek, Paul A. Rodrigues and Nicholas P. Cholis. John H. Brechin received the Aust Fleming Newsletter Award. Brechin has been editor of the Local Government Law Section Newsletter for 30 years. Other newsletter service award winners included: 5 years: William J. Brinkmann, Regina W. Calabro, Debra Liss Thomas, Katarinna McBride, Bryan M. Sims 10 years: Richard D. Hannigan, Kathryn A. Kelly, Alfred M. Swanson, Patricia A. Zimmer