Someone you should know: Lisle A. Stalter, Assistant State’s Attorney, Lake County

One of our recurring columns, Someone You Should Know, gives us a chance to introduce you to a government attorney. In this issue of the newsletter, we are proud to highlight one of our own—past chair Lisle Stalter.

Lisle was admitted to the Illinois bar in November 1997. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in political science and a minor in economics. Stalter is also a graduate of the Northern Illinois University Law School in DeKalb, Illinois. She first worked as a staff attorney court side for the 19th Judicial Circuit in Lake County. For the past 11 years, she has served as a Civil Assistant State’s Attorney in the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office in Waukegan, Illinois.

Stalter handles a variety of civil matters for the Civil Division of the State’s Attorney’s Office. One of her primary responsibilities is civil environmental enforcement. Under an agreement with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Lake County enforces the solid waste provisions of the Environmental Protection Act (this involves landfills and other permitted facilities in Lake County, as well as open dumping issues). Those cases are referred directly to Stalter for enforcement. Additionally, she is involved in cases that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency refers to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office will often ask the State’s Attorney’s Office if they wish to be involved in an enforcement action. At that point, Stalter works closely with the Attorney General’s office in the filing of injunctive actions and seeking civil penalties in the Circuit Court of Lake County. She enjoys working in cooperation with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency inspectors to resolve environmental violations.

Stalter also handles general land use zoning matters, defends Lake County officials against civil lawsuits filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, represents Lake County in labor arbitration and grievance hearings, and advises the Lake County Board in the public hearing process with respect to amendments or special use applications under the zoning ordinances. Lake County recently considered amending its zoning ordinance to address wind farms; Stalter was instrumental in that process. Since 2007, she has served as the State’s Attorney’s Office representative and Board Member on the Lake County Childcare Coalition.

Stalter has been highly involved in the ISBA for several years. She is an eight-year member of the Environmental Law Section Council. She was chair of the section council in 2008-2009, completed her ex officio year in 2009-2010, and agreed to stay on to coordinate the ISBA’s 2011 Annual Environmental Law Conference, held in May of each year. Stalter has coordinated and moderated the annual conference for several years running, helping to establish the conference as one of the ISBA’s best. Although geared toward environmental lawyers and those in related industries, it is a conference not to be missed by other interested ISBA members. The most recent conference was headlined by keynote speakers from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. She is now taking a well-deserved rest from her Environmental Law Section Council duties, although she is still involved with the CLE committee and the annual conference.

Stalter was honored with the ISBA’s Board of Governors Award at the 2011 Annual Awards Luncheon by President Mark D. Hassakis and incoming President John G. Locallo. The award was presented for her distinguished service to the ISBA through the years. Specifically, the award recognized her work coordinating and planning the annual law conference for the Environmental Law Section Council, although Stalter quickly notes that the conference was a group effort and that many people contributed more than their fair share to the planning efforts, and success, of the conference through the years.

Lisle currently serves on the ISBA’s Local Government Law Section Council, and is in her first year in the Federal Civil Practice Section. Before that, Stalter was a member of our group, the Standing Committee on Government Lawyers, having served as chair in 2009-2010 and completing her year as ex officio in 2010-2011. She has also served and chaired the Standing Committee on Legal Education, Admission and Competence.

In and around Lake County, Stalter serves as a member (and a former board member) of the Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County (AWALC), which consists of lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals throughout Lake County and neighboring counties. AWALC holds monthly lunch meetings at a reduced cost, CLE attendance at a reduced cost, and provides networking and social opportunities to its members. As such, AWALC is very supportive of newer attorneys coming into the Lake County area, whether new to the practice of law or moving their practice to Lake County.

Stalter has lived in unincorporated Russell, Illinois for almost 11 years, with her husband, Nathan, who is a cardiac sonographer at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, her eight-year-old son Nathan, and six-year-old daughter Rebecca. She is an active member of Christ Community Church in Zion, Illinois. She is one of a team of teachers for two-year-old Sunday School and this past year served as a camp counselor for Primary Camp (kids entering 2nd and 3rd grade) at Camp Zion in Door County, Wisconsin. In addition to spending time with her children, Stalter tends the family garden and often cans food for the winter. Her favorite thing to make is Tomato Soup and she fills her freezer with it. Lisle has graciously agreed to share her tomato soup recipe:

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 T of minced garlic (or 3 cloves)

3 pounds of ripe tomatoes (from the garden)

2 C chicken broth

1 can tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon of pepper

2 T fresh basil (or 2 teaspoons dry basil)

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until tender but not brown. Add rest of ingredients except basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and boil until tomatoes are very soft (20 minutes or so). Add basil and cook an additional five minutes. Let cool slightly, use a stick blender (or a food processor) to puree. ENJOY!

We are proud to count Lisle as one of our alumni, and she really is someone you should know. ■