Springfield's Karen Hasara begins service as ARDC Commissioner
The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Karen Hasara of Springfield, Illinois, to serve as a Commissioner of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). The ARDC is the Supreme Court agency that has administrative authority over more than 90,000 Illinois lawyers and investigates allegations of attorney misconduct.
Ms. Hasara, a non-lawyer, has a long history of public service in this state, beginning in 1975 when she was elected to serve on the Sangamon County Board. From 1980 through 1986, she was the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, Sangamon County. In 1986, Ms. Hasara was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where she served the 100th District, until being elected to the Illinois Senate in the newly formed 50th Legislative District in 1992. In 1995, she was elected the Mayor of Springfield, the first woman ever to hold that office. She was re-elected in 1999 and served until her term ended in 2003. She currently serves as a Trustee of the Springfield Mass Transit District.
Ms. Hasara is a member of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois, the Board of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, and is active with the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois, the Rotary Club of Springfield, and the University of Illinois at Springfield Advisory Committee.
Before entering public service, Ms. Hasara worked as a teacher at a local elementary school. In 1973, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and elementary education from Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois at Springfield) and she returned there to earn a Master of Arts degree in legal studies.
Ms. Hasara succeeds Brian McFadden, who served as an ARDC Commissioner for nine years. He served as Chief of Staff to Springfield Mayor Hasara from 1995 to 2003. From 2003 to 2008, he was the Chief of Staff for the Illinois Senate Republican staff. In 2008, he was appointed to be the Sangamon County Administrator.
The ARDC is composed of seven members, three of whom are non-lawyers. Attorney R. Michael Henderson of Peoria is the Commission Chairman and the Vice-Chair is Attorney Joan Myers Eagle of Chicago. The ARDC Administrator is Jerome Larkin.
Commissioners receive no compensation for their services. The Commissioners establish ARDC policies, appoint members of the ARDC Inquiry and Hearing Boards, establish the organization’s budget, manages the Client Protection Program to reimburse victims of lawyer misconduct and, subject to the approval of the Supreme Court, appoint the Commission's chief executive officer, the Administrator. More than one hundred full time employees and over one hundred lawyer and non-lawyer volunteers work for the ARDC All funds expended by the agency are from annual fees paid by Illinois attorneys. There are no tax dollars used to support the disciplinary system. Yearly fees are imposed on most Illinois lawyers to fund the ARDC. There are two ARDC offices: One Prudential Plaza in Chicago and the One North Old Capitol Plaza in Springfield.