Illinois Supreme Court Appoints Scott J. Szala ARDC Review Board Member

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Scott J. Szala of Chicago to serve as a member of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (A.R.D.C.) Review Board effective on January 1, 2021, and expiring on December 31, 2023. The A.R.D.C. is the Supreme Court agency that investigates allegations of lawyer wrongdoing in Illinois.  

Szala currently teaches trial practice and legal ethics at both Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and the University of Illinois College of Law (Chicago Program). He also teaches Illinois Constitutional Law and Policy at the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign. Additionally, he serves on several Illinois Supreme Court committees, including the Illinois (Criminal) Pattern Jury Instruction Committee, the Professional Responsibility Committee, and the Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee. As an associate member of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission, Szala has helped write and produce four historical plays and panel presentations for its “History on Trial” series.  

From 1980 until 2014, Szala practiced at the law firm of Winston & Strawn LLP, and for 20 of those years was a capital partner. He focused his practice on complex civil and criminal litigation and handled a wide variety of cases before trial and appellate courts across the country. 

Szala received his bachelor’s degree from the Knox College and earned his law degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. 

Szala replaces A.R.D.C. Review Board member Jill W. Landsberg, whose term expires on December 31, 2020. The A.R.D.C. Review Board is composed of nine members, all of whom are lawyers appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Review Board sits in panels of three and considers appeals from reports of the A.R.D.C. Hearing Board, which functions like a trial court in attorney disciplinary proceedings. Review Board members receive no compensation for their service. 

More than ninety employees and over one hundred lawyer and non-lawyer volunteers work for the A.R.D.C. 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 A.R.D.C. There are two A.R.D.C. offices: One Prudential Plaza in Chicago and 3161 West White Oaks Drive, Suite 301, in Springfield.