Lynch appointed to 14-year term as federal bankruptcy judge
Chief Judge Frank H. Easterbrook of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas M. Lynch to a 14-year term as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He will take office on January 3, 2013.
Mr. Lynch is of counsel to the law firm of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP where he is a member of its business litigation department. His practice focuses on all phases of commercial disputes. Before that he was a partner at the law firms of Baker & Daniels and Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon. Mr. Lynch began his legal career as an associate in the litigation and bankruptcy departments at Winston & Strawn.
A native of Illinois, Mr. Lynch earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from the University of Dayton, a masters degree from the University of Chicago, and his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. He has been an adjunct member of the faculty at Northwestern since 1998. For the past 17 years he has taught at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
During the course of his practice Mr. Lynch has regularly provided pro bono legal services to the community. He has been a panel attorney at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services for nearly two decades, and has served as trial and appeals counsel on behalf of various pro bono programs of the state and federal courts. He has served on committees advising Illinois courts and practitioners. Mr. Lynch also has worked on numerous charitable and community initiatives, including the Big Shoulders Foundation's efforts supporting inner-city schools and Operation Helping Hands' program to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.