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  • June 14, 2013 | Events
    PILI to host Annual Pro Bono Reception

    Chief Justice Kilbride to Present PILI’s 2013 Pro Bono Recognition Roster

    The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) will host its Annual Pro Bono Reception next week on Wednesday, June 19 at The Ivy Room at Tree Studios. A fixture in the Illinois pro bono community’s summer calendar, this event celebrates the remarkable and critically-needed pro bono work being done in Illinois, as well as the work of PILI's Pro Bono Initiative Program. Among the 250 guests who regularly attend are pro bono leaders from law firms and corporate legal departments, representatives from Illinois law schools and legal service agencies, and the current class of PILI Interns and Fellows.

    Present at the event will be Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, who will introduce PILI’s 2013 Pro Bono Recognition Roster. Understanding the mounting legal needs of Illinois’ poor and under-represented, and realizing the critical role that law firms and corporations play in meeting that need through pro bono legal assistance, PILI created this roster in 2010 to celebrate these contributions and express gratitude. This year, 34 law firms and 10 corporate legal departments been named to the Roster. View the full 2013 Pro Bono Recognition Roster on PILI’s website at www.pili-law.org/probonorecognitionroster.htm.

    The 2013 Pro Bono Reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ivy Room at Tree Studios, located at 12 East Ohio Street (Ohio & State). Tickets are available through June 18 online at www.pili-law.org/probonoreception.htm for $65, or at the door for $75.

  • June 13, 2013 | Practice News
    Masters appointed Cook County Circuit Judge

    The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Allan J. Masters to the position of Circuit Judge of Cook County, Ninth Subcircuit. This appointment is effective June 14, 2013 and terminates on Dec. 1, 2014. The vacancy was created by the retirement of the Hon. Lee Preston.

  • June 13, 2013 | People
    Donald T. Morrison 1928-2013

    Donald T. Morrison, Jr., 84, of Libertyville, formerly of Deerfield at rest May 20, 2013.

    He was a life time Waukegan Trial Attorney at Morrison and Morrison and a past President of the Lake County Bar Association and a Fellow of American College of Trial Lawyers.

    He was a beloved husband of Danielle Morrison, loving father of 10 children; Joseph (Hon. Julie) Morrison, J.D., Sheila (Mel) Smith, J.D., Mary Ellen (Tom) Murphy, B.S.N., Kathleen (Hon. Ray) Collins, B.S.N., Eileen Morrison, M.D., Margaret (Jim, J.D.) Borcia, J.D., Frances C. Morrison, M.S., Donald (Ellen J.D.) Morrison, J.D., Denise Breyne (David Grace), Mario L. Breyne, dear Grandfather of twenty Grandchildren, and one Great Grandson.

    He was preceded in death by his first wife, Catherine in 1975 and by his Grandson, Antonio "Tony" Borcia in 2012.

    In Lieu of flowers memorials can be made to the www.y-notproject.com in loving memory of Tony Borcia or www.autismspeaks.org in honor of Jax Morrison. For Info: (847) 362-3009 or please sign the guestbook at www.burnettdane.com.

  • June 12, 2013 | Practice News
    Sen. Kirk picks Manish Shah for appointment to federal bench

    U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) has recommended Manish Shah of Chicago, Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office and former Chief of its Appellate Division, for appointment to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

    “I am proud to put forward the name of Manish Shah to be the next federal district court judge for Northern Illinois,” Senator Kirk said.  “He’s the most experienced prosecutor we have, and because of his stellar record in working with former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, I think he is the best one for the bench. I look forward to working with Senator Durbin to make sure we have highly-skilled candidates like Shah to help strengthen our courts and clean up Illinois.”

  • June 10, 2013 | People
    McNulty, Cosgrove named parters at Clifford Law Offices

    Shannon McNulty has been named a partner at Clifford Law Offices, a nationally renowned firm recognized in personal injury and wrongful death law.  Also, Bradley Cosgrove, formerly of another personal injury firm in Chicago, has been named a partner at the firm.

    McNulty has obtained more than $30 million in verdicts and settlements with Clifford Law Offices since she joined the firm 10 years ago.  She was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to a blue ribbon Special Committee on Illinois Evidence. In 2007 she was named by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company one of the top 40 Attorneys Under 40.

    Cosgrove, recently came to the firm with a wealth of experience in trying cases in medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death.  He has lectured at John Marshall Law School, his alma mater.  The National Trial Lawyers Association has named him one of the Top 40 Attorneys Under 40 since 2012.

  • June 6, 2013 | People
    Eli Korer joins Levin Ginsburg

    Levin Ginsburg is pleased to announce that Eli Korer has joined the firm. Eli is an honors graduate and honors scholar of Valparaiso University School of Law, J.D., 2011, and of Boston University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2008. Eli has joined the firm as an associate attorney in its Corporate Practice area. While in law school at Valparaiso University, Eli was elected Chief Justice of the Moot Court Society, was a Semi-Finalist and Best Oralist of the 2011 Irvin R. Kaufman Memorial Securities Law Moot Court Competition and was the recipient of the Corpus Juris Secundum Award for the most significant overall contribution to the School of Law.

    Eli externed at the United States Attorney’s Office in Hammond, Indiana, and was an associate attorney at another Chicago law firm prior to joining Levin Ginsburg.

  • June 6, 2013 | People
    PILI announces 47 summer law school internships - including ISBA YLD position

    Law Students from Across the Country Serve at 25 Legal Aid Organizations in Illinois

    The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has announced its Law Student Internship Class of 2013, a group of 47 Interns representing 18 law schools from across the country. These PILI Interns have been selected out of the nearly 400 law students from over 70 law schools who applied. Each PILI Intern will serve 400 hours at one of 25 legal service organizations over the summer, together contributing 18,800 hours of legal services on behalf of thousands of low-income individuals and families. PILI provides supplemental educational, networking and mentoring opportunities. New this year, PILI is funding two internship positions in Illinois outside of Chicago, where the need is great but resources are few. These two new PILI Internships are in Peoria at Prairie State Legal Services, and in Champaign at Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation. View the complete list of 2013 PILI Interns on PILI’s website at http://pili-law.org/2013PILIinternslist.htm.

  • June 6, 2013 | People
    Johnson & Bell receives the Seven Seals Award

    Johnson & Bell received the highest state level award from the Illinois Committee of the Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (“ESGR”) for its support for members of the United States military services.

    Presenting the award to firm founder William V. Johnson and firm vice-president Joseph R. Marconi were US Navy Captain Mark T. Hunzeker, the chief of the Navy’s Midwest Region Legal Services Office, Great Lakes Naval Station; Renato Bacci, the incoming chairman of the Illinois ESGR Committee; and William C. Glynn, the Northern Illinois chair of ESGR.

    Johnson & Bell was selected to receive the award at the recommendation of Frank M. Grenard, one of the firm attorneys.  Grenard is an ombudsman and military outreach volunteer with the Illinois ESGR Committee. He is also the Chairman of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Military Affairs Committee.

  • June 4, 2013 | ISBA News | Practice News
    Free legal clinic inside Little Village high school provides access to justice for kids, families

    Illinois Bar Foundation's big boost to provide "springboard to success"

    Chicago history teacher Dennis Kass, 37, puts his law degree to use at the school where he teaches – Infinity Math, Science and Technology High School in Little Village – by providing free legal information and services to students and their families at after-school clinics.

    During the 2012-2013 school year alone, he handled more than 125 cases through the nonprofit he established in 2010, the Chicago Law and Education Foundation (CLEF), on legal matters that run the gamut from orders of protection for victims of domestic violence and immigration issues to help in avoiding mortgage foreclosure and expunging of criminal records.

    Now, his fledging foundation, with an annual operating budget of about $21,500, is getting a big boost, thanks to the Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), the fundraising arm of the Illinois State Bar Association. For every new or increased dollar pledged through a matching grant campaign from June 1 through September 30, the bar foundation will match it up to $5,000. That’s on top of a $6,000 grant The IBF already awarded CLEF in April.

    The money will go a long way towards helping the Chicago native expand the legal clinics to other schools and ultimately enable him to pay the salary of a full-time lawyer. Down the road, he dreams of offering legal clinics in every public high school.

    “Dennis has a sincere commitment to providing access to justice to low-income individuals who need it the most,” said David M. Anderson, IBF executive director. “We hope these funds will be a springboard to further growth and success.”

  • June 4, 2013 | Practice News
    Mary Anne Mason appointed to 1st District Appellate Court

    The Illinois Supreme Court announced Monday the assignment of Cook County Circuit Court Judge Mary Anne Mason to the Illinois Appellate Court for the First Judicial District to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Appellate Justice David P. Sterba on July 1, 2013.

    Judge Mason, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney and worked in private practice, will continue her legal career in the very same place where she launched it: in the Appellate Court.

    "To serve on the same Court where I started as a law clerk 36 years ago with Justice Daniel J. McNamara, Jr., is an honor beyond belief," Judge Mason said. "I am so grateful to the Supreme Court for this opportunity."

    Judge Mason's assignment to the Appellate Court is effective July 8, 2013 and will continue until further order of the Court.

    After serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois for five years and working in private practice for 15 years with the Chicago law firm of Kevin M. Forde, Ltd., Judge Mason was appointed to the Circuit Court in September 2000. She was subsequently elected to that position in November 2002 and was retained in 2008.

    After a three month assignment to the traffic division, Judge Mason was assigned to the Juvenile Justice Division, where she presided over juvenile delinquency matters. In 2004, she was assigned to the Chancery Division where she hears matters including, among others, requests for injunctions, corporate disputes, review of final administrative decisions and trust and contract construction.

    Judge Mason previously served as chair of the Supreme Court Committee on Discovery Procedures. She currently serves as chair of the Chancery Division Mediation Rule Committee.