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Sonni Choi Williams: 2015 ISBA Diversity Leadership Award recipient
At the ISBA Awards Luncheon on June 19, 2015, Sonni Choi Williams, Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of Peoria, will be awarded the 2015 ISBA Diversity Leadership Award. This is not the first time that Sonni Williams has been recognized for her service and contribution to the Illinois legal community. In 2010, she was awarded the ISBA Board of Governors Award that recognizes lawyers for exemplary service to the profession and the ISBA.
When presenting her with the 2010 Board of Governors Award, then-ISBA President John G. O’Brien noted that Sonni Williams was the former chair of the ISBA Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, a member of the Commission on Professionalism, a member of the ISBA Assembly, and a leading organizer of the highly respected Peoria County Bar Association’s Diversity Luncheon.
From the beginning of her legal career and active participation in the ISBA since 1999, Sonni Williams has devoted her passion and commitment to pushing for diversity in the legal profession. Her work on the Peoria County Bar Association’s Diversity Committee has continued beyond her years of chairing the Committee from 2005 through 2007, and she has been instrumental in garnering a number of keynote speakers for the annual Diversity Luncheon including Honorable Diane Wood from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals; Honorable Lisa Holder White from the 4th District Appellate Court; and NIU College of Law Dean Jennifer Rosato-Perea, just to name a few.
Sonni Williams not only talks the talk, but also walks the walk when it comes to promoting diversity. She has mentored a number of minority students whom she has supervised through her office’s internship and has assisted many of them obtain scholarships with the support from her letters of recommendation. In addition to being the top sponsor for the PCBA Diversity Scholarship since inception, her dedication and work on promoting diversity are encompassed in the following list of initiatives and services:
• Current member of the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism since 2006 and its newly formed Diversity Committee.
• Current member of the Peoria County Bar Association’s Diversity Committee since 2004, past chair: 2005-2007.
• ISBA Diversity Leadership Council, 2009-2011.
• ISBA Task Force on Diversity, 2007-2008.
• Past chair, ISBA Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law, 2009-2010.
• Past member of the City of Peoria Race Relations Commission, 2008.
• Past chair, PCBA Standing Committee on Mentoring, 2012-2013.
• Co-chair for the PCBA professionalism seminar, “Expand Your Awareness and Improve Your Business” on diversity sensitivity awareness, 2013.
• Facilitator for the PCBA professionalism seminar on “Raising the Bar Through Diversity” in 2010.
• Coordinator and co-presenter for the ISBA program, “Seek Power! A Law Student’s Guide to Authentic Self Promotion” in 2010.
• Presenter before the Winnebago County Bar Association on “Diversity Issues Facing the Legal Profession Today” in 2009.
• Facilitator for the PCBA seminar, “Professionalism in Your Diverse Office: Fostering the Good Start” in 2009.
• Presenter for the PCBA ethics seminar, “Maximizing Marketability Through Diversity” in 2007.
• Coordinator and co-presenter for the ISBA program, “Changing the Face of the ISBA: Tips on Running for Offices in the ISBA” in 2007.
Sonni Williams has also authored articles on diversity issues including “The Commitment to Diversity Should Be a Badge Worn Every Day”1 and “Square Peg in a Round World,”2 highlighting her insightful views of the importance of diversity in the legal profession. She credits Alice Noble-Allgire and E. Lynn Grayson,3 the co-chairs of the ISBA Task Force on Diversity, for laying the groundwork on establishing the ISBA Diversity Leadership Council and Annmarie Kill4 for laying the foundation for the Diversity Fellows program to identify diverse future ISBA leaders and provide them with the opportunity to learn about the ISBA through mentorship and immersion.
Sonni Williams’s dedication to the legal profession not only includes diversity initiatives, but she serves various roles in the following committees: ARDC Hearing Board, chair member (2012-present); ISBA Board of Governor for Area 4; ISBA Assembly member for the 10th Judicial Circuit (2003-2009); ISBA Committee on Judicial Evaluation-Outside Cook County; Illinois Bar Foundation Gold Fellow; PCBA’s Young Lawyer’s Committee, past chair (2003); and Master Member of the Abraham Lincoln Inns of Court. She has been awarded the 2006 Young Alumnus of the Year Award by NIU College of Law Alumni Council and the 2008 Annual Achievement Award by the Illinois Local Lawyers Association. During her career with the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of Peoria, she has submitted briefs and argued before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the 3rd District Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court.
Her service to the community includes serving eight years on the governing Board and three years on the Foundation Board for EP!C, f/k/a Parc, whose mission is to enrich the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities. Currently, she serves on the Board for Peoria Friendship House of Christian Services that provides relief, respect and renewal to Peoria’s most vulnerable individuals and families. In addition, Ms. Williams has shared her story of being a poor immigrant overcoming obstacles to obtain the “American Dream” at swearing-in ceremonies for new citizens. Ms. Williams is a member of Kiwanis Club of Peoria; Rotary Club of Peoria-North; and League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria.
As stated by Jennifer Wolfe, who nominated her for the ISBA Diversity Leadership Award, “You can tell from the significant contributions listed above, Sonni does more than just consider diversity important, she is a successful leader and advocate at convincing others that diversity is an important and worthy cause.” ■
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