Chicago Area

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis has begun an application process for a judicial vacancy in the Fifth Judicial Subcircuit of Cook County. The vacancy is created by the retirement of the Hon. Edward Washington, II.

Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies are filled on an interim basis by supreme court appointment. Justice Theis will make recommendations to the supreme court after applicants undergo a screening and evaluation process.

That process will include an evaluation by the Alliance of Bar Associations, which is made up of 11 bar groups in the Cook County area, and the Chicago Bar Association. Further review will be conducted by a special judicial screening committee that Justice Theis established in 2013 and is co-chaired by retired U.S. District Court Judge Wayne R. Andersen and retired Illinois Appellate Court Judge Michael J. Gallagher.

To be eligible for consideration for appointment, the applicant must be a lawyer in good standing licensed to practice law in Illinois and a resident of the Fifth Subcircuit.

The deadline for submission of applications is 4 p.m. on Monday, July 17, 2017.

Notice of the vacancy and details of the application process are posted on the Illinois Supreme Court's website. From there, follow the instructions on the "Latest News" scroller announcing the Fifth Subcircuit vacancy.

Cynthia F. Tolan, a Morton Grove attorney with more than 15 years experience in estate and trust administration, estate planning, and elder law, has joined the ATG Trust Company as trust officer. 

Most recently, Tolan worked closely with families, guiding them through the estate and trust administration process, as an attorney at Huck Bouma in Wheaton. She represented both fiduciaries and beneficiaries in the administration of decedent estates and trusts created for the ongoing benefit of beneficiaries. She also represented clients in initiating and managing guardianships for minor children and disabled adults.

As co-chair of the firm’s Elder Law Group, Tolan also advised on the proper planning to assist elder clients or family members in making health care decisions, dealing with guardianship, and protecting and preserving assets. She also has experience as in-house counsel for a real estate development company.

Tolan is a former Iowa assistant attorney general and worked as human rights officer for the Missouri Commission of Human Rights. She is a frequent speaker on issues relating to estate planning, powers of attorney, and transfers of assets at death. She has also been an instructor at Durham Technical Community College in the paralegal technology program, and an instructor of mock trial classes at St. Louis University.

As a member of the Oncology Council of Advisors at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Children’s Hospital, Tolan is helping to implement a cancer survivorship program.

John Brechin, 69, of Lombard. Loving father of Jason (Megan) Brechin, Randy (Christi Heneghan) Brechin, and Jeannine (Darin) Wright; devoted grandfather of Nathan, Lily, Charlotte, Olivia, & Amelie; fond brother of Helen, Pauline, the late Paul, Wendell, Alice, and Donald; uncle of many nieces and nephews. Graduate of Northwestern University, Class of 1970 and Graduate of Loyola University Law School, Class of 1975.

Visitation Thursday, June 15, 3-9PM at Knollcrest Funeral Home, 1500 S. Meyers Rd. (3 blks. So. of Roosevelt Rd) Lombard. Funeral Friday 11:15 AM from the funeral home to St. Alexander's Church, 300 S Cornell Ave, Villa Park. Mass 12:00 PM. Interment private. Memorials to St. Alexander's Catholic Church are appreciated.

Funeral info: www.knollcrest.net or 630-932-1500.

ISBA member Christopher J. Maurer, associate attorney at Anderson & Associates, P.C., was elected treasurer of the DuPage Bar Foundation on May 23, 2017.

The DuPage Bar Foundation is the charitable division of the DuPage County Bar Association. It awards scholarships to law students, and it also awards grants to organizations, such as the Family Shelter Service and National Alliance on Mental Illness, which serves disadvantaged communities.

Earlier in May, Mr. Maurer also received the DuPage Legal Assistance Foundation’s Pro Bono Service Award at the DuPage Bar Association's Annual Law Day Luncheon. He is one of two attorneys to have received the award for volunteering over 100 hours of pro bono time representing low-income clients in the community.

Mr. Maurer has been a licensed and practicing attorney since 1997. He joined Anderson & Associates, P.C. in 2002, and he has extensive experience in family law, including divorce, custody/parenting disputes, grandparent rights, and complex financial litigation. He also has experience handling contested probate matters and preparing estate plans for his clients. Attorney Maurer is also a licensed and practicing mediator in family law cases, and he has been appointed by the courts to represent the rights of children as a guardian ad litem in contested cases involving minor children.