Northern Illinois

[caption id="attachment_11500" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Roberta Holzwarth"][/caption] The Rockford law firm of Holmstrom & Kennedy, P.C., announced that Roberta L. Holzwarth has been appointed to a third term on the Board of Directors of the United States Office of Compliance. The United States Office of Compliance is an independent federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States government. It was created to administer and enforce the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, which extends several employment and labor laws to Members of Congress and other employing offices in the legislative branch. The Office has a five-member non-partisan Board of Directors appointed by the majority and minority leaders of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The members of the Board of Directors come from across the United States and are chosen for their expertise in employment and labor law. An attorney with Holmstrom & Kennedy since 1983, Holzwarth handles complex employment and labor matters. She also serves as a certified mediator with the local state and federal courts. She has served on the Office of Compliance’s Board since May of 2000. Holmstrom & Kennedy is a 16-lawyer general practice firm which has provided a full range of legal services throughout Northern Illinois for over a century.

State

• State attorney general says ComEd deal bad for customers, Daily Herald

Central Illinois

• Lawyers rest cases in Skinner murder trial, Springfield State Journal-Register

Chicago area

• Dwyane Wade lashes out at estranged wife over lawsuit, Chicago Tribune
• Suspect in Vernon Hills murder eligible for the death penalty, Daily Herald

Northern Illinois

• Grads return to Winnebago County Drug Court, Rockford Register Star

Southern Illinois

• Prosecutors drop sex assault case against suspended Washington Park police officer, Belleville News-Democrat

Nation

• Study finds experience "sweet spot" for associates jumping to corporate jobs, ABA Journal

This post is updated with breaking news throughout the day.

[caption id="attachment_10695" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Paula Rieghns"][/caption] Franks, Gerkin & McKenna is pleased to announce that Paula Rieghns has joined the firm. Paula is an accomplished attorney with impressive experience. Before joining FGM, Paula practiced contract, property, and family law in Sycamore. She has conducted many trials, notably working on a month long precedent-setting trial involving pollutants caused by a factory farm. This trial generated extensive media attention. Prior to working in Sycamore, Paula practiced insurance defense in Bloomington. Besides trial work, Paula excels in writing. She has authored appellate briefs and co-authored a supplement to a chapter in the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s Federal Practice book. Paula is a member of the Illinois and Indiana bar and is also admitted to the Federal General District Bar. She is currently a member of the DeKalb County, Kane County and Illinois State Bar Association. She attended Northern Illinois University College of Law for law school and undergraduate at Indiana University, where she graduated with honors. Franks, Gerkin & McKenna, P.C. – Law firm of forty years, with practice areas including personal injury, workers’ compensation, litigation, real estate, estate planning, criminal defense, family law, land use and zoning, probate, commercial transactions, bankruptcy, and traffic violations.

[caption id="attachment_10201" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Annemarie Kill, Chair of the Standing Committee of Women and the Law, Sonni Williams, Chair of Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, NIU Law Dean Jennifer Rosato and event presenter and newly-elected ISBA 3rd Vice President Paula Holderman"][/caption] The ISBA Standing Committees on Women and the Law and Ethnic and Racial Minorities and the Law co-sponsored "Seek Power! A Law Student's Guide to Authentic Self Promotion" on April 9 at Northern Illinois University College of Law. Newly-elected 3rd Vice President Paula Holderman presented and Justice Susan F. Hutchinson offered words of wisdom to students preparing their career path. The event was followed by a networking reception at the College's Thurgood Marshall Gallery. Click here to view a photo gallery from this event.