People

Darryl Pratscher, Clerk of the Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court, passed away following a short illness on July 24. Mr. Pratscher, 57, had served in the Fourth District since 1979 and as the Clerk of the Court since 1981. Services for Mr. Pratscher will be private.

[caption id="attachment_2847" align="alignright" width="150" caption="David Applegate"][/caption] ISBA member David Applegate's law firm, Williams Montgomery & John Ltd., will move to Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, effective October 2009. Mr. Applegate will continue his practice in intellectual property and business litigation at the new location. Illinois Lawyer Now is happy to announce transitions for ISBA members. Please include name, position, law firm, practice areas, education information and former employer. A head shot in the JPG file format may also be included. Send information to cbonjean@isba.org

[caption id="attachment_2806" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Lee A. Gould"][/caption] ISBA member Lee A. Gould, a managing member at Gould & Pakter Associates LLC, has been named Chairperson of the Illinois CPA Society. With more than 25 years of experience, Lee specializes in performing valuations of closely-held businesses, financial damages determinations and forensic accounting investigations.  He provides business valuation consulting services for family law matters, shareholder litigation and estate and gift tax purposes.  Lee performs lost profit and financial damages calculations in commercial litigation matters including breach of contract and business interruption claims. He also conducts forensic accounting analyses to assist in locating unreported or hidden assets, determining the source of funds used to acquire assets and investigating claims of misappropriation. Lee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified in Financial Forensics and Accredited in Business Valuation. The Illinois CPA Society, founded in 1903, is the fifth largest state society in the nation with more than 24,000 members. It is the premier professional organization representing CPA in Illinois. During its over 100 years of existence, the Society has advanced the highest ethical and financial standards of the profession, and has been a leader in educating the public on financial issues.

Arbitration and mediation expert John W. "Jack" Cooley, a former U.S. magistrate judge, passed away from multiple myeloma on July 21 at his home in Evanston. Mr. Cooley worked for two large private arbitration and mediation firms. He taught conflict resolution at Northwestern University's law school for the last 12 years and wrote several books, including "The Mediator's Handbook" and "The Arbitrator's Handbook." He later came to believe his cancer was caused by exposure to Agent Orange during the war, and the government accepted his claim earlier this year, his daughter said. Raised in St. Louis, where his father was a barber, Mr. Cooley went to a private military academy before joining the Class of 1965 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He reached the rank of captain, but a tour of duty in Vietnam led him to law school. Click here to read the full Tribune story.