James P. Flannery, Jr. appointed presiding judge of Cook County Law Division

Chief Judge Evans also expressed his appreciation for Judge Maddux’s 23 years of service to the court, more than half of which were spent as a presiding judge, and wished him well in his retirement.

James P. Flannery, Jr. was first appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County as an associate judge in 1988 and elected a full circuit judge in 1990. He initially served in the Traffic Section of the First Municipal District until his assignment to the Fourth Municipal District in Maywood in 1989. In December 1992, he was assigned to the Criminal Division where he served until his assignment to the Law Division in 1997. He has presided over more than 300 trials.

Judge Flannery has participated in numerous efforts to improve court administration and judicial education. He was selected by Chief Judge Evans to serve as a co-chair of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s New Judges’ Seminar Committee. He was also selected to serve on the Circuit Court committee that Chief Judge Evans charged with the evaluation of the practices and policies of the Black Line Trial Call. He serves on the faculty of the Circuit Court’s New Judges’ Seminar and also helps to train judges from throughout the state as a member of the faculties of the Illinois Supreme Court’s New Judge Seminar and the Illinois Supreme Court’s bi-annual Education Conference. He also serves at the request of the Illinois Supreme Court on its Legislative Committee and its Peer Mentoring Committee. He has served as a mentor to new judges as well as veteran judges.

Admitted the Illinois bar in 1976, Judge Flannery served as an assistant corporation counsel in the City of Chicago law Department from 1976 to 1980. He was in private practice from 1980 to 1985 with the law firm of Murphy & Preston. In 1985, he was appointed an assistant Illinois attorney general, and he served as the chief deputy of the Land Acquisition Division in that office.

Judge Flannery has been praised by bar associations in their retention election evaluations as “well-regarded for his dedication, work ethic and outstanding demeanor and temperament” (The Chicago Bar Association, 2008). The Chicago Council of Lawyers noted in 2008 that attorneys described Judge Flannery as “hard-working, well prepared and knowledgeable” and praised him for “his courtroom management skills and for ruling promptly.”

Judge Flannery received his B.S in Mathematics from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in 1973 and his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 1976.