Illinois Supreme Court Appoints Kate L. McCracken ARDC Commissioner
The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Kate L. McCracken of St. Charles to serve as a Commissioner of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (A.R.D.C.) effective on January 1, 2022, and expiring on December 31, 2024. The A.R.D.C. is the Supreme Court agency that investigates allegations of lawyer wrongdoing in Illinois.
Ms. McCracken is a shareholder at the law firm of Hoscheit, McGuirk, McCracken & Cuscaden, P.C., where she concentrates in commercial and residential real estate, probate and contract law, and construction litigation. She has been with the firm since 2005.
Ms. McCracken is currently on the Board of Directors of Lazarus House, a west suburban charity working to eliminate homelessness, and she is an Officer and Director of the Fabyan Foundation, a private foundation that provides grants and scholarships to persons and entities in Geneva. She has also served as an Officer and Director of the Marklund Children’s Home, a Bloomingdale intermediate care center for individuals with intellectual challenges.
She has been a member of the Plan Commission for the cities of St. Charles and Geneva, and has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Committee on Character and Fitness, which evaluates the moral character and general fitness of applicants to practice law in Illinois.
Ms. McCracken holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She earned her law degree from Seattle University School of Law.
Ms. McCracken will replace Commissioner David F. Rolewick of Wheaton, whose term expires this year. The A.R.D.C. has seven Commissioners, three of whom are non-lawyers. The Commissioners establish A.R.D.C. policies, appoint members of the A.R.D.C. Inquiry and Hearing Boards and, subject to the approval of the Supreme Court, appoint the Commission’s chief executive officer, the Administrator. Commissioners receive no compensation for their service.
More than 80 employees and over 100 lawyer and non-lawyer volunteers work for the A.R.D.C. All funds expended by the agency are from annual registration fees paid by Illinois attorneys; there are no tax dollars used to support the disciplinary system. There are two A.R.D.C. offices: 130 East Randolph Drive, Suite 1500, in Chicago and 3161 West White Oaks Drive, Suite 301, in Springfield.