Chicago Area

Robert F. Harris has been appointed a Cook County Circuit Judge in the 5th Subcircuit by Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court. 

Mr. Harris was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Edward Washington.
The appointment takes effect September 21, 2017, and will conclude on December 3, 2018, when the position will be filled by the 2018 General Election.

"I'm deeply honored to be chosen from a field of accomplished and talented people to be selected as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County," Harris said. "I look forward to this new path as a servant to the public and I will work hard to become an exemplary member of the judiciary."

Don’t miss this full-day seminar in Chicago or via the Internet on October 5, 2017 that explores the new changes to the bankruptcy rules, as well as the advanced issues you need to know when handling your next bankruptcy case. Attorneys with intermediate practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: the new Chapter 13 Plan; how to present evidence in bankruptcy cases; dischargeability issues; Motions to Dismiss under Section 707(b)(3) and objections under Section 727; recent student loan case law and legislative updates; and much more.

The Hon. Richard Posner retired from the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago on Saturday, September 2. His decision to step down from the bench after 36 years was announced late last Friday. Now 78, Posner was appointed to the court by President Ronald Regan in 1981 and served as its chief judge from 1993 to 2000. 

Posner is well-known in the legal community as a prolific writer on and off of the bench. During his career, he wrote more than 3,300 opinions, as well as dozens of books and articles spanning many legal topics. He is one of the most widely cited appellate judges in the United States.

Sheldon "Ted" Wilson Reagan, 82, died peacefully at home with family at his side on June 30, 2017.

Born in Chicago, on Jan. 8, 1935, he was the son of Dr. Sheldon and Maryan Reagan (Bryan). He was the eldest of three children.

Sheldon grew up in Aroma Park, and there learned his lifelong love of hunting and fishing on the Kankakee River. He graduated from Kankakee Senior High School, where he played football and golf.

While attending the University of the South, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, Sheldon was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Germany. Upon completion of his service, he returned to school and married Eleanor Woehrle in 1958. They raised two children, daughter, Susan, and son, Scott.

During that time, he graduated from John Marshall Law School in 1966 and was immediately appointed as a magistrate in the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Kankakee. After serving on the bench for two years, Sheldon resigned and opened a private law practice, which he maintained as the sole practitioner for 22 years.

In 1977, Sheldon married Barbara Kuester. In 1980, they together had a son, Ted Kuester Reagan. Sheldon and Barb remained happily married until her death in 2007.

In 1989, he was appointed to be an associate judge, and remained on the bench in Kankakee until 2001, at which time he and Barbara both retired and moved to Missoula, Mont.