Illinois State Bar Association

Mr. O'Brien's practice concentrates in real estate and estate planning. He is the founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association (IRELA). IRELA is the leading advocate for protecting the role of the attorney in the residential real estate process.

Dr. Hans Diehl, founder of the Coronary Health Improvement Project, will speak to the Winnebago County Bar Association during a luncheon meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Forest Hills County Club, Rockford. His topic is "Health: Raising the Bar." Call (815) 964-4992.

William M. McErlean has become a partner in the Chicago office Litigation Department of Barnes & Thornburg. Former co-founder of Seidler & McErlean, he previously chaired the Rudnick & Wolfe Litigation Department.

Douglas W. Lind became director of the Southern Illinois University Law Library and associate law professor on July 1 after 13 years with the Edward Bennett Williams Law Library at the Georgetown University Law Center. A lawyer who has a master's degree in information and library studies from the University of Michigan, Lind headed the collections department at the Georgetown law library for the past six years. The author of the 2006 book, "Bibliography of American Law Casebooks, 1870-2004," Lind succeeds Frank G. Houdek, who is now associate dean for academic affairs at the SIU law school. The library was founded by Roger F. Jacobs, who was its director from 1973 to 1978. Elizabeth Slusser Kelly headed it from 1978 to 1984, and Houdek took over in 1985.

Aaron E. Lunt is an associate with Fisher Kanaris, P.C. Mr. Lunt joined the firm in 2004 after graduating cum laude from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. His practice is concentrated in first-party property and third-party liability insurance claims litigation and subrogation. He clerked for Fisher Kanaris, P.C. while in law school and gained valuable experience in a wide-variety of insurance matters. While at John Marshall, he was a member of the Law Review and served as the Executive Student Articles Editor for the 2003-2004 academic year. He was a Dean's List scholar during his entire law school career and was inducted into the Order of John Marshall. During the summer of 2002, he was an intern for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court and his responsibilities included researching complex legal issues and drafting legal memoranda for numerous judges. In the spring of 2003, Mr. Lunt externed for the Honorable Thomas R. Chiola in the Tax & Miscellaneous Remedies Section for Cook County and, in the fall of 2003, he served as a research assistant for Professor Doris E. Long. A Chicago native, Mr. Lunt received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. As an undergraduate student, he competed for four years as a scholarship athlete on the varsity basketball team. He was chosen as a team captain for the 1999-2000 season. Mr. Lunt is admitted to practice in the State of Illinois and the Northern District of Illinios. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association and DuPage County Bar Association.

Amos N. Guiora, a member of the Israeli Defense Forces Judge Advocate General Corps for 19 years, will speak Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. His topic is tensions between security concerns and human rights in a democratic society. A law professor at Case Western Reserve University, Guiora was also a legal adviser to Israeli military units in the Gaza Strip. The lecture is free, but reservations should be made with Sarah Gillooly at (312) 906-5134.

When you need fresh ideas and solutions with a twist, call Ann Mahony. Contacted by 20/20, David Letterman, USA Today and others, Ann provides the inside track on celebrities, politicians those who make news daily. An expert witness in federal and superior court, Ann has been hired by everyone from attorneys selecting juries to singles seeking a mate, as she exposes the gut level energy she claims we cannot hide. This energy permeates our thinking styles, speech patterns, even our handwriting.

Benjamin Joseph received a $5,000 William J. Sweetman Scholarship to help defray expenses of his summer internship with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He will join PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago and work on an LL.M. degree in employee benefits.

Brian J. Nolan concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate, banking and commercial finance, and business law. He represents a wide array of business clients, with an emphasis on corporate and financial regulatory and compliance issues, commercial lending, and real estate development, including the negotiation of property acquisitions and commercial leases and the utilization of tax credits and other incentives for redevelopment. Brian joined Carmody MacDonald P.C. in 2005 after serving as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Lawrence G. Crahan of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District. Brian is admitted to practice law in Missouri and Illinois. He is an active member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Division.

Cari Jay Raymond has joined Tressler, Soderstrom, Maloney & Priess, Chicago, as an associate in professional liability, including directors and officers liability. She was with Boundas, Skarzynski, Walsh & Black.

Craig Ball, Law Offices of Craig D. ball, P.C., is a trial lawyer technologist and a computer forensic examiner from Montgomery, TX. He is a prolific contributor to continuing legal and professional education programs throughout the United States, having delivered 350 presentations and papers. His articles on forensic technology and electronic discovery frequently appear in the national media, including that of the ABA, ATLA and American Lawyer Media. He also writes a monthly column on computer forensics and e-discovery for Law Technology News called "Ball in your Court." The presentation, "Craig Ball on PowerPoint," is consistently the top rated educational program at the ABA TechShow. A program he presented with Richard Orsinger entitled "Enron The Legal Issues" received the Best CLE of 2002 award from the Association for Legal Education. Mr. Ball is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization; a Certified Computer Forensic Examiner, Oregon State University and NTI; and is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals, fifth circuit; U.S.D.C, Southern, Northern, and Western Districts of Texas. He is active in the State Bar of Texas and numerous other legal organizations. Mr. Ball attended Rice University (B.A., triple major, English, Managerial Studies, Political Science, 1979) and the University of Texas (J.D., with honors, 1982.)

Dale Kurth is a partner in the firm's Chicago office where he focuses his practice on liability insurance coverage litigation, coverage analysis, and counseling, as well as issues concerning intellectual property. Dale is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC). He is licensed to practice in Illinois and admitted to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Dale received his undergraduate degree and his law degree from University of Illinois. He is currently pursuing an LL.M. degree in Intellectual Property from John Marshall Law School.

Daniel Bernstine was appointed President of Portland State University on August 1, 1997. Prior to that time he served as Dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School from 1990 to 1997. He served as General Counsel of Howard University from 1987 to 1990 and also Interim Dean of Howard University Law School from 1988 to 1990. President Bernstine graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. degree in 1969, from the Northwestern School of Law with a J.D. degree in 1972, and received his LL.M. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1975. From 1972 to 1973 he was a staff attorney with the Office of the Solicitor at the U.S. Department of Labor, and from 1974 to 1975, he was the William H. Hastie Teaching Fellow at the University of Wisconsin Law School. From 1975 to 1978, Bernstine was Assistant Professor at Howard University Law School. He joined the University of Wisconsin Law School faculty in 1978 and was on leave of absence while serving as General Counsel and Interim Law School Dean at Howard. President Bernstine has been a visiting law professor at the University of South Carolina and at the University of Bridgeport. He was a faculty participant in the Inter-American Comparative Law Institute at the University of Havana Law School in Havana, Cuba and was a visiting scholar at Justus-Liebig-Universitat in Giessen, Germany. President Bernstine has served as a hearing officer for the District of Columbia Public Employees Relations Board, as a consultant to the American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences Clear Writing Program, and as an advisor to the District of Columbia Public Service Commission. He is a member of the National Conference of Bar Examiners Multi-State Torts Drafting Committee and the America Law Institute. Previously, he has served on the Association of American Law Schools Committee on Accreditation, and hte Supreme Court of Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners. President Bernstine is a member of the Board of Directors of the Urban League of Portland, the Portland Opera and Legacy Health System. He is also a member of the Multnomah Progress Board. He is the author of numerous articles and has also written three books.

In addition to the Czech exchange program, a John Marshall student, Daniel Griffin, has spent the past semester at the Economics University in Prague. His counterpart, Marek Benes, will study intellectual property law next spring at John Marshall.

David A. Nilles is a partner with Matushek, Nilles & Sinars, L.L.C. and has achieved the highest rating "AV" from his peers, as published by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. He has more than 18 years legal experience, handling civil jury trials and appeals. Legal Experience: Mr. Nilles has successfully tried several matters to verdict in the Circuit Court of Cook County. He has significant background in the defense of medical malpractice claims, representing physicians from virtually every area of practice specialty, providing him with the ability to effectively deal with complicated issues of medical causation in questionable personal injury cases. He has defended clients in cases involving product liability, aviation law and air crashes, nursing home negligence, construction liability, asbestos personal injury and other casualty claims. Dave Nilles has frequently obtained summary judgments on behalf of construction contractors, physicians, product manufacturers and distributors, professional corporations and property owners in cases involving serious injury and wrongful death. Where the interests of both the insured and insurer have so dictated, he has quickly obtained diminutive settlements in a cost-effective manner.

David J. Heyer is an established trial lawyer having tried over 100 personal injury cases over the past 16 years. He has a Degree in Finance from DePaul University and earned his Juris Doctor from Kent College in 1989. His clients have received numerous verdicts in a range of cases involving automobile accidents, construction accidents, dog bites, products liability, medical malpractice and wrongful death cases. He has been recognized as one of the most successful young lawyers in the state of Illinois, and is currently the President of the West Suburban Bar Association. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association where he has lectured on nursing home malpractice. His is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Suburban Bar Coalition and serves on a Committee to review Judicial Candidates. David has obtained millions of dollars is settlements in addition to the cases he has tried to verdict.

David understands how a case is handled from the ground up. David has been a law clerk, paralegal and an attorney with the firm. David completed his legal education at Valparaiso University School of Law and is licensed to practice throughout Indiana, Illinois, the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana Federal Courts, the Northern District of Illinois Federal Courts and the United States 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. In order to most effectively represent his clients, David is an active member of numerous legal organizations, including the Indiana State Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and Lake County Bar Association. David has strong ties to Northwest Indiana. Raised in Hammond, he now resides in Crown Point. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Purdue University Calumet. Besides practicing law, David continues his strong ties to Purdue University Calumet, where he is an Adjunct Professor of History. David teaches two U.S. History classes for Purdue.

In honor of his 75th birthday, author and Law Prof. Derrick Bell has been invited to present The John Marshall Law School's annual Belle R. and Joseph H. Braun Memorial Lecture. He will speak on "Accepting Extinction: Will Christian Doctrine Prove our Enemy Rather than our Salvation?" from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13. Call Jaime Wesley at (312) 987-2351 for more information. Bell is currently a visiting law professor at New York University and the University of Pittsburgh. He has written several books on race and civil rights.

E. Kirk Ross is an associate in the wealth preservation group in the business section of Eastman & Smith Ltd. He is admitted to practice law in both Ohio, Illinois, and Florida, concentrating his practice in the areas of wealth preservation, estate planning and general corporate law. Mr. Ross graduated cum laude from Berry College in 1997. He attended graduate school at Bowling Green State University , graduating in 2001. He earned his law degree in 2004 from Northwestern University in Chicago. After law school, Mr. Ross practiced at a major law firm in Chicago before returning to Toledo . He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Toledo Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.

Gary Clark has been in private practice since 1964 and joined The Law Offices of Frederic W. Nessler as a Senior Associate in 1992. He has successfully handled cases of automobile negligence, product's liability, premise's liability and medical malpractice, resulting in significant recovery. Mr. Clark was a member of the Tort Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association from 1980-86 holding the position of Vice Chair from 1981-82 and Chair from 1982-83. He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Clark is a frequent lecturer on tort law and civil litigation for the Peoria County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. He has been an Assemblyman for the Illinois State Bar Association since 1980

Hans Blix of Sweden, chair of the International Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction, will deliver the Hiram H. Lesar Lecture, based on his book "Disarming Iraq," at the Southern Illinois University School of Law at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 7.

Helen W. Gunnarsson earned a B.S. in Communications from Northwestern University, and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. She is freelance writer who performs regular writing assignments for the Illinois State Bar Association. From1998 until 2001 she wrote nightly e-mail digests of all newly issued state supreme and appellate court cases. From 2000 until 2005 she wrote 6 weekly e-mail Practice Update newsletters in different areas of law: Criminal and Traffic Law, Family and Elder Law, Business Law, Real Estate and Estate Planning, Trial Practice, General Practice. Since 2001 she has written the monthly LawPulse feature for ISBAs flagship publication, the Illinois Bar Journal. The feature consists of five substantive articles of 600-1200 words apiece on timely and varied legal, practice-oriented topics. Since 2004 she has written monthly feature articles of approximately 2,000-3,500 words apiece for the Illinois Bar Journal. Helen W. Gunnarsson has also written e-mail newsletters approximately monthly for the Creditors Rights Section of the Commercial Law League of America on subjects of interest to collection attorneys. Previously, Ms. Gunnarsson has served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Illinois Human Rights Commission; an Assistant States Attorney in the Civil Division in Peoria County; a Special Assistant States Attorney in Galesburg, Illinois; and she is an arbitrator for the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration program.

Ian Andrew Cooper received a $5,000 Elmer Kissane Scholarship given by the family of a former assistant Cook County state's attorney. Cooper plans to join the state's attorney's office, where he has been a 711 clerk.

Isaac Colunga won the Chief Justice John Marshall-Braun Memorial Student Writing Competition with his essay, "Ex Parte Bollman: A Federalist's Commitment to Civil Liberty." He received a $1,000 prize.

M. Jane Matoesian and William M. Lawson have joined Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, Swansea and St. Louis, as officers - Matoesian in the Litigation Practice Group and Lawson in the Labor and Employment Practice Group. Matoesian, a former judicial clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joseph H. Goldenhersh, was vice president and counsel for A. G. Edwards & Sons. Lawson has extensive experience in representing managements in employment and traditional labor matters.

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John Brown received the Elmer C. Kissane Public Service Award and will be given $5,000 when he completes one year with the Cook County state's attorney's office. Brown performed unpaid 711-license work three days a week for the past year with the Felony Criminal Trials Division. He also was an unpaid law clerk two days a week in the Criminal Enforcement Division of the Illinois attorney general's office.

John R. Joyce, a co-developer of the Leavitt Street properties, has been associated with James Pattison since 1996 in the development of both new conversions and the rehabilitation of existing structures. Joyce, who is an attorney and licensed real estate broker, is also currently a partner with the law firm of Stahl, Cowen, Crowley LLC, specializing in real estate matters. After graduating magna cum laude from Loyola University in Chicago, he received his law degree also from Loyola in 1989. A member of both the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, he has been involved in all aspects of real estate development, including acquisition, zoning, financing, syndication, leasing, and the sale of commercial and residential properties. A native of New York, NY, Joyce lived in Commack, NY through 8th grade and then moved to Oak Park, IL attending Fenwick High School.

Judith Munson augments her involvement in the worldwide health preparedness community by teaching a class at John Marshall on "Public Health Emergency Law: Domestic and International."

Chicago attorney Ray H. Burgan has joined the corporate and tax practice at Arnstein & Lehr. Formerly with the Ziccardi Law Offices, he counsels businesses in formations, dissolutions and litigation matters.

Justin E. Bauer, a third-year student at the Northern Illinois University College of Law, has received the 2006-07 Lowell H. Jacobson Memorial Scholarship from the American Counsel Association. The presentation ceremony on Sept. 29 at the Chicago Bar Association was conducted by ACA President Tom Bolt. The award is named in memory of a Chicago attorney who was a president of the association.

Karl R. Tetzlaff and Nicholas J. Ftikas each earned a $25,000 Lucy Sprague Public Service Scholarship, given by the family of a former John Marshall law student who was murdered. Tetzlaff will begin his public service career as a judicial clerk helping the chief judge of the Boulder, Colo., District establish a drug court treatment program. Ftikas would like to work on zoning, land use, demolition and urban planning in the office of Chicago corporation counsel.

Her trademark experience includes opinions on trademark availability, preparation of trademark applications and prosecution of those applications before the Patent and Trademark Office. She has been involved in trademark infringement actions, both before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and in the federal courts. Ms. Garipay also handles trademark matters in foreign countries, including prosecuting trademark applications and opposition proceedings. Her legal work has included representing clients in litigation involving patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. She has represented clients in both the prosecution and defense of patent infringement claims. Ms. Garipay also has experience in negotiating licenses and agreements, as well as commercial litigation, including product liability actions. Ms. Garipay has a B.A. degree cum laude in psychology from the University of New Hampshire. She earned her J.D. degree magna cum laude from the University of Puget Sound School of Law. While in law school, Ms. Garipay interned with Washington State Supreme Court Justice Robert Utter. She is admitted to practice in Illinois as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Her professional memberships include the Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association.

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Laurence Msall is the President of The Civic Federation. Msall joined the 112-year-old tax policy and government research organization in January of 2002. The Civic Federation is an independent, non-partisan government research organization founded 1894 in whose membership includes business and professional leaders from a wide range of Chicago area corporations, professional service firms and institutions. The Civic Federation seeks to assist public policy opinion leaders in the Chicago area and to advance issues such as property tax reform, tax simplification, privatization, and joint purchasing with the objective of improving governmental efficiency and financial accountability. Before joining The Civic Federation, Msall was the Senior Advisor for Economic Development for Illinois Governor George H. Ryan. Msall was responsible for the oversight of eleven of the state's economic development and infrastructure-related agencies including the Departments of Commerce and Community Affairs, Revenue, Transportation, and the state's housing and other development authorities. Appointed as Senior Advisor in February 1999, Msall worked closely with the Governor and his staff on issues related to business climate, tax and transportation policy. As the Senior Advisor for Economic Development, Laurence Msall has played a key role in the creation and implementation of several of major Illinois initiatives, including Illinois FIRST, VentureTECH, EDGE Tax credit, the expansion of the Illinois Trade Offices, and the attraction of The Boeing Corporation. Msall headed up the $12 billion Illinois FIRST (Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools and Transit) infrastructure improvement program and was also responsible for the $1.9 billion 5-year VentureTECH initiative that focused state investments in Illinois research universities, federal laboratories, and programs to assist emerging technology-related businesses. Before joining the Governor's staff in 1999, Msall served as the Vice President of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a non-profit group of Chicago's senior business and civic leaders. The Commercial Club seeks to improve and promote the social and economic vitality of the Chicago metropolitan area through a wide range of programs and activities. First organized in 1877, the Commercial Club is most well-known for its work organizing and implementing Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago. In addition to his work with the Commercial Club, Laurence Msall served as Secretary to the Commercial Club Foundation and Vice President of the Civic Committee. He has worked with the CEOs of some of Chicago's largest corporations and service firms promoting regional economic development strategies related to airport capacity, urban redevelopment, and special projects including the Chicago Bears stadium, technology development, and the reorganization of the United Way of Chicago. Prior to joining the Commercial Club staff in 1990, Laurence Msall served as Assistant to the Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs with primary responsibility for policy development. From 1984-1988, Laurence Msall represented the Department and Governor Thompson's office on economic development and business issues before the Illinois General Assembly. As DCCA's chief legislative liaison, Msall presented and successfully secured the passage of over 50 legislative initiatives including the tax and financial incentives used to retain the Sears merchandising group in Illinois, the creation of the State of Illinois tourism promotion program, the Illinois Enterprise Zone program, and reform of the State's tax increment financing program. Laurence Msall is a licensed attorney and 1992 graduate of Loyola University School of Law, Evening Division, where he was named to the Dean's List of Distinguished Students in 1990, 1991 and 1992. He was a recipient of the 1992 Loyola Leadership and Service Award. Msall holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox College in...

Without the resulting inflow of funds since Rule 756 was amended in October 2002, however, the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois would have had to cut its annual grant allocations for fiscal 2005 from the current level of $3.7 million to less than $2 million. The steady decline in interest rates on lawyers trust accounts (IOLTA) had caused LTF revenues from this source to drop from $3.9 million in fiscal 2001 to about $2.3 million in fiscal 2003. Representatives of 32 agencies that receive Trust Fund grants cheered the announcement on June 4, during the annual meeting in the ISBA Chicago Regional Office, that more than $4 million will be distributed across the state for legal aid programs from July 1 through next June 30. The state's two largest regional providers, Prairie State Legal Services and the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, will receive increases to $765,000 each up from $725,000 and $700,000 respectively. The Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago will get $438,000 - up from $410,000. The Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS) will increase to $415,000 from $400,000. The Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation, which just celebrated its 40th anniversary, will see its grant rise to $385,000 in 2005 from this year's $357,500.

Retired Chicago attorney Mervin N. Bachman died Aug. 22 at age 90 of heart failure in a California nursing home. A former partner in Arvey, Hodes, Costello & Burman, he chaired its labor department. A 1939 graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Bachman was an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board until 1953, when he joined the Chicago firm then known as Arvey, Hodes & Mantynband. He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1957. In 1984, Mr. Bachman was appointed chair of the Illinois Industrial Commission. Three years later he became a member of the Illinois Human Rights Commission and served until he retired in 1995 and moved to California.

Prof. Michael P. Seng of The John Marshall Law School has been elected president of the Council of Higher Education, which provides college scholarships to students of Czech, Slovak and Ruthenian ancestry. Arlington Heights attorney George T. Drost, former Czech honorary consul in Chicago, is treasurer. Seng succeeds Ernie Melichar, also of John Marshall, who has been president for six years.

Mike Papantonio is a senior partner of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Echsner & Proctor, P.A., one of the largest claimants' law firms in America, having handled thousands of cases throughout the nation including Asbestos, Breast Implants, Pharmaceutical Litigation, Factory Farming, Securities Fraud, the Florida Tobacco Litigation, and other mass tort cases and has received numerous multi-million dollar verdicts. Mike is listed in the publication, Best Lawyers in America and Leading American Attorney. He is also a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. Both organizations invite only 500 trial lawyers throughout America to participate as members. He is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer who has authored and co-authored instructional articles on handling complex litigation for trial lawyers. Mike is the founder of the Seminar company Mass Torts Made Perfect, which has hosted speakers such as James Carville, Al Sharpton, Johnnie Cochran, Bob Woodward, Elliot Spitzer, Jack Kemp, Arianna Huffington, Dick Morris, and Paul Begala. Our most recent featured speaker was former U.S. President, Bill Clinton. An author of four books, Mike regularly lectures at trial seminars throughout America. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, and the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, where he served on the Board of Directors for five years. In 1998, Mike Papantonio teamed with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Hudson Riverkeepers, and Water Keeper Alliance, to establish a Riverkeepers program in Northwest Florida, known as the Pensacola Gulf Coastkeepers, Inc., a full-time organization that serves the community as a public advocate for the waterways of Northwest Florida. GulfCoastkeepers and Riverkeepers are reputable for their willingness to take polluters to court. In 2001, Mike filed two lawsuits against polluters, which lead to a 70 million dollar settlement.

Natalie N. Ferguson has joined the general corporate law practice at Messer & Stilp, Chicago, as an associate. Previously staff attorney at Provena Health in Mokena, she is a former Illinois Senate Republican legal counsel to the Insurance and Pensions Committee.

Robert Denney Associates is a group of experienced professionals who provide strategic management and marketing counsel to clients in selected professions and industries. Our experience is hands-on, not textbook; our analyses, objective and our recommendations, creative yet practical. Bob was previously the CEO of several companies and has subsequently been a consultant to professional firms, non-profit organizations and corporations. Our associates have previously been senior executives in, or consultants to, corporations and professional firms. But we have more than just business experience. We also have a rich diversity-of-life experience. Therefore, we can work with people of different backgrounds and at all levels within a client organization. And, in the end, it is people who make a company or firm successful. The legal profession. We have worked with over 700 firms, offices and legal organizations throughout the United States as well as in Canada and the Caribbean. While many of our clients are large national and international firms, our principal clients are midsize and smaller the firms most threatened by the changes in the profession today. A number of our clients are repeat clients whom we have served for years. We have also worked with legal networks, local and state bar associations, the American Bar Association, Canadian Bar Association, Association of Legal Administrators and the Legal Marketing Association. The accounting profession. Our clients are as diverse as the profession itself and include over 70 firms, offices and accounting organizations throughout the United States and also in Canada. We have worked with local, regional, national and international firms, both full-service and specialty. We have also worked with national and international accounting networks, state societies and the AICPA. Companies and non-profit organizations. We have been retained by large companies and non-profits for discrete projects. However, our principal corporate clients are organizations and closely held or family businesses for whom we provide expertise and experience they do not possess themselves. This client base is diverse and covers more than 20 industries.

Ruth Lopez, a student at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, has been appointed to a two-year term on the 20-member national advisory committee of Equal Justice Works, an initiative of the National Association of Public Interest Law.

Samuel K. Skinner, former U.S. attorney and Secretary of Transportation, will speak during the DePaul University College of Law graduation ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 20, in the Civic Opera House, Chicago.

Samuel Constantine Maragos of Chicago was a retired Cook County judge, a former state legislator and a co-founder of the Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois. Mr. Maragos, who was honored by his Greek colleagues as Hellene of the Year in 1994, died Aug. 23 at age 83 of congestive heart failure. He was a partner in Maragos & Maragos with his son, Dean T. Maragos. A veteran of Army service as a lieutenant during World War II, Samuel Maragos attended classes at The John Marshall Law School on the GI Bill. He graduated in 1948 and was a name partner in firms such as Maragos, Richter, Berman, Russell & White, and Faber, Haber & Maragos. Mr. Maragos served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1968 to 1976, and subsequently in the Illinois Senate until 1980. He chaired the House Revenue Committee and the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, as well as the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission. Appointed to the Cook County Circuit Court in 1991, he served until 1995 and went back into practice with Maragos, Apostol, Maragos & Ditore. Mr. Maragos served on the ISBA Committee on Legislation from 1981 to 1997, and he was a member of the Senior Lawyers Section Council from 1991 to 1995. An emeritus member of The John Marshall Law School Board of Trustees who served more than 30 years, Mr. Maragos was past president of the South Chicago Chamber of Commerce and past commander of the South Chicago American Legion Post. He was a founder, president and general counsel of the Thornridge State Bank. Mr. Maragos was an Archon Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople of the Greek Orthodox Church, past supreme president of the Pan Arcadian Federation of America, and a member of the executive committee of the Hellenic American Congress. He received the Silver Beaver Award of Merit from Boy Scouts of America.

Sara Siegall, a student at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, won the title of best preliminary round oralist in the 16th annual National Health Law Moot Court Competition held last month at the Southern Illinois University School of Law. She will receive $250 from the law school's Center for Health Law and Policy, which was a co-sponsor with the SIU School of Medicine Department of Medical Humanities and the American College of Legal Medicine. A team from the South Texas College of Law in Houston defeated a Seton Hall School of Law team in the finals on Nov. 10 in Carbondale. Chicago-Kent, The John Marshall Law School and Loyola University School of Law also participated.

Sean Darke has joined Wessels & Pautsch in St. Charles as an associate in labor and employment litigation. He was a clerk for a circuit court judge in Michigan.

Veronica Root, a first-year student at the University of Chicago Law School, has received the first Diversity Scholarship Award for minority students from Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz, Chicago. Root will receive $5,000 for each of her three years in law school and a guaranteed position in the firm's summer program. While an undergraduate at Georgetown University, she received the Black Student Alliance Vision of Excellence Leadership Award and was student representative to the alumni board.

William Hanley came to Sorling in 1972 after serving as Legislative Counsel to then-Governor Richard B. Ogilvie. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame (A.B. 1961) and received his law degree from the University of Chicago (1964). Following law school, he was a Ford Foundation Fellow with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Hanley received academic appointments with both the United States Senate and the Illinois Senate, and thereafter was an associate in the litigation department of a Chicago law firm. Mr. Hanley's interest in government is reflected in his state government oriented practice in administrative law, governmental relations, and public employee matters. He has represented clients on insurance, utility, professional licensing, and tax matters. Mr. Hanley has been General Counsel for a state higher education board, as well as for trade associations in the funeral and insurance agent professions. He is Past Chair of the Administrative Law Section of the Illinois State Bar Association and contributing author to the Administrative Law Handbook published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. He has served on a variety of advisory councils to Illinois Governors and an Illinois Secretary of State. In addition, Mr. Hanley has been active in the Springfield community and is a past Chairman of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. He is currently listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law. His litigation experience includes representing public and private clients in commercial, employment, civil rights, and general litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as the United States Tax Court. He is licensed to practice in Illinois and Maine.

Carol specializes in workers' compensation defense. She represents Fortune 100 companies, self-insureds and works closely with third party administrators and insurance carriers in defending workers' compensation claims. She has successfully litigated cases before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, Circuit Courts and the Appellate Courts. Ms. Cesaretti is active in the workers' compensation arena as she is currently a co-editor of the Workers' Compensation Newsletter for the Illinois State Bar Association and a frequent lecturer on workers' compensation issues across the country.

Christopher D. Murtaugh, chair of the real estate development department at Winston & Strawn, Chicago, received a Distinguished Alumni Award on May 9 from the University of Illinois College of Law. Also honored at the Chicago-area alumni luncheon was Prof. David D. Meyer, who was named to the Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Faculty Scholar position for his work at the intersection of constitutional and family law.

Paul Sullivan has been the office administrator since 1987. Prior to joining the firm, he operated a successful business for over 10 years; was General Manager of an electronics firm, and held various Sales and Management positions with a major computer manufacturer. He is the 2006-2007 Chair of the Standing Committee on Law Office Economics and Management of the Illinois State Bar Association and has been a member of the committee since 1995. He is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators, and 2005-2007 President of the ALA Cyber Chapter. He is also past president and charter member of the Central Illinois Chapter of ALA. He is a regular contributor to the Illinois State Bar Association Bar News column "The Lawyer's Office", the Law Office Management and Technology column in the Illinois Bar Journal, and The Lawyers Competitive Edge: The Journal of Law Office Economics. In addition he has articles published in Legal Management, and the American Bar Association "Complete Lawyer". He is a member of the Illinois Central College Paralegal Program Advisory Board and has been a frequent panel member in the Law Office Economics Breakfast symposiums. He has moderated the Law Office Economics Roundtable programs, and has presented in Law Ed programs including the Small Firm and Solo Conference presented by ISBA.

Mr. Swanson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Illinois, followed by a law degree with honors in 1982 from IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar, the Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 1982. He is also a member of the Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In 1988, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. Mr. Swanson has previously practiced with the firm of Friedman & Holtz, as a sole practitioner and with Jones Ware & Grenard. He was also an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois where he specialized in consumer protection and charitable issues. His practice area is in litigation, including tort and product liability defense, along with injury claims caused by electrical circuitry, fires, and explosions. Included among Mr. Swanson's jury trials are favorable verdicts in premises liability and motor vehicle accidents. Mr. Swanson was a member of the Illinois Supreme Court's Planning and Oversight Committee on Judicial Performance Evaluation from 1998 through 2005. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), The Chicago Bar Association (CBA), the American Judicature Society, and the Nordic Law Club of which he is currently the Secretary. Mr. Swanson is a member of a joint CBA-ISBA committee to study the Illinois Judicial System. Mr. Swanson was a member of the ISBA Assembly and is currently a member of the Bench and Bar and Local Government Section Councils. He is editor of the Bench and Bar newsletter. He is Secretary of the Local Government Section Council. Mr. Swanson was also editor of the Illinois Bar Journal from June 1996 to June 1998. He is a member of the Tort Litigation, Bench & Bar, and Local Government committees of the Chicago Bar Association. He was also formerly chair of the CBA's literature discussion group. He is one of the founding members of the Chicago-Lincoln/American Inn of Court, having served two terms as the Inn's Counselor. Mr. Swanson co-authored the article "Tort Reform: The Judge's Perspective", Illinois Bar Journal, March 1996. He also co-authored the article "What's the Measure of Judicial Excellence", Illinois Bar Journal, October 2002 (this article, "Criteria for an Excellent Judge", was also distributed at the Future of Illinois Court's Conference, April 2002). Mr. Swanson was also co-author of the article "High-tech hits home: Can local government officials use electronic communication without violating the sunshine laws?", Local Government Section Newsletter, ISBA, February 2003. Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Swanson was a reporter for WMAQ/NBC radio and a reporter and editor for WBBM-CBS radio, both in Chicago. He previously worked as a reporter for WJBC radio in Bloomington, Illinois, and for WILL in Urbana, Illinois. The Women in Communications, the Associated Press, United Press International, and other organizations have honored Mr. Swanson for his fairness and excellence in reporting.

Amy became the newest associate at Hughes, Hill & Tenney in November 2006. A Taylorville native, she attended Illinois Wesleyan University to study history where she graduated with honors in 2003 for her work on Jewish women of the New World Era. After her undergraduate work had been completed, Amy enrolled in St. Louis University's School of Law. She graduated in 2006 receiving both her J.D. and Health Care Certificate focusing on health care law from one of the nations' top ranked programs. Amy was raised in a health care environment with her father being a local physician; she focuses her practice on the defense of malpractice actions in addition to commercial litigation and auto insurance defense. Amy is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and Decatur Bar Association.

Mr. Kreamer handles a variety of matters with an emphasis on Construction, Bankruptcy, and Personal Injury, as well as in the Firm's expanding Real Estate practice. His background includes a Bachelor's Degree in History and Political Science from Coe College and Juris Doctorate from the University of Tulsa, College of Law. Mr. Kreamer is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois and is an active member of the Chicago, American, and Illinois State Bar Association. His in-depth analysis of the law and synthesis of fact patterns pertinent to each allows the Firm to advise Clients in advance of crucial decision points.

Anne Chestney Mudd graduated cum laude from John Marshall Law School, where she was on Law Review. In addition, she holds a master's degree with honors from the University of Louisville. She received training in mediation from Pepperdine University School of Law and the College of DuPage. Anne also served as a mediation intern with Margaret S. Powers, an internationally-known mediator and trainer of mediators.

Arthur J. Inman has over thirty-five years of legal experience in helping clients in all types of cases with personal care and attention. He is admitted to practice in all Illinois state and federal courts, including the Circuit Courts of Illinois, the Appellate Courts of Illinois, the Supreme Court of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He is also admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Inman was formerly employed as an Assistant State's Attorney in Sangamon County, an Assistant State's Attorney in Vermilion County, and an Assistant State's Attorney in Peoria County. While he served as Assistant State's Attorney in Sangamon County, he conducted a Grand Jury investigation into allegations of corruption in state government. Mr. Inman received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, and his undergraduate degree from Illinois Wesleyan University. Mr. Inman is a member in good standing of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Bar Associations of the Central and Southern Districts of Illinois (Federal Court Bar) and the Peoria County Bar Association. He is a past chair of the Criminal Justice Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Human Rights and Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association. Mr. Inman has taught Trial Techniques for Prosecutors in schools sponsored jointly by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and the Appellate Prosecutor for Illinois, and Police Science at Illinois Central College. He is a member and past president of the Suburban Kiwanis of Peoria, and a member of Phi Alpha Delta (Legal Fraternity) and Pi Kappa Delta (Honorary Fraternity).

Arthur O. Kane, a recognized authority on workers compensation law and president and CEO of Kane, Doy & Harrington, Ltd., is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and donor of the Arthur Kane Center for Clinical Legal Education. Mr. Kane has more experience on the issue of occupational diseases than most attorneys practicing before the Illinois Industrial Commission. He has been a contributing author to several publications on issues related to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act. Mr. Kane has served as an arbitrator in numerous matters, testified as an expert on workers' compensation issues and been lead counsel in several landmark decisions rendered by the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Appellate Court. Among his many affiliations, Arthur Kane is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, past president of the Workers' Compensation Lawyers' Association, past chairman of the Illinois Defense Counsel Workers' Compensation Committee and a faculty member of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. He is listed in Who's Who of Attorneys and has received the highest rating an attorney can receive (AV) from Martindale-Hubbell, the nation s top directory of lawyers and law firms.

Ashley A. Kwasneski's practice focuses on litigation and includes commercial and civil litigation and representing area communities in trials of ordinance and motor vehicle violations and aggravated traffic/driving under the influence offenses. She is a lifelong resident of the Homer Glen/Lockport, Illinois area. Ashley received her bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois in 2003. Ashley attended law school at the University of Illinois College of Law where she graduated cum laude in 2006. She was admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association in November of 2006. Ashley is a member of the Will County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. As a member of the Illinois State Bar Association's Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council, Ashley has presented at continuing education seminars and contributed an article to the group's newsletter on DUI and traffic issues entitled, Illinois Supreme Court extends "Hot Pursuit" Doctrine to include misdemeanors.

Benjamin A. Crane, 29, is a principal in the law firm of Coplan & Crane, L.L.C, where he exclusively represents individuals and families victimized by wrongful conduct. Ben concentrates his practice in plaintiff's personal injury law including cases arising from medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, construction negligence, transportation (automobile, truck, and railroad) negligence, premises liability, and wrongful death litigation. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Norbert College (DePere, Wisconsin) in 1997, Ben attended The John Marshall Law School (Chicago, Illinois) and was awarded a Juris Doctorate in 2000. During law school, Ben clerked for the Presiding Judge of the Law Division, the Honorable Judith Cohen, and at a large loop law firm. Upon receiving his license to practice law, Ben went to work for a large defense firm, representing doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases and insurance companies in a variety of personal injury matters. Ben soon found his passions, ideologies, and talents would be better suited by representing personal injury plaintiffs. The time he spent on the defense side, however, provided Ben with a keen insight into how insurance companies and defense attorneys analyze cases, which is a tremendous advantage to his clients. Immediately upon becoming "a plaintiffs' attorney," Ben knew it would be his life's work. Ben has successfully handled the most complex cases, including several medical malpractice cases involving infants catastrophically injured during labor and delivery, and the most straightforward automobile cases, which can become quite complex in their own right. Ben's clients have all, in some way, had the quality of their lives depleted, and he finds that the best way to achieve success on behalf of his clients is to immerse himself in the personal heartache and misery of his clients, while laboring to somehow improve the quality of their lives. Ben is very active member of the legal community. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, and he has been elected to chair its Tort Litigation Committee in 2005-2006, where he has served on the Executive Board since 2002. Ben is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyer's Association, the West Suburban Bar Association, the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, where he has served on the New Lawyers Division Board of Governors. Ben has lived in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, where he is active in neighborhood politics. He is a precinct captain and a member of the 44th Ward Democratic organization.

Beth is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. She is also a member of the American Association for Justice American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Lake County Bar Association

Ms. Thomae received her J.D. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. While in law school, Ms. Thomae focused her coursework in Intellectual Property Law, Food and Drug Law, and Health Law. Ms. Thomae gained experience on intellectual property matters while in law school through a clerkship with Case Western's Office of Technology Transfer. She was also an intern at Illinois Attorney General's Office. Ms. Thomae received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Purdue University. She worked for approximately six years in research before attending law school. Four years of her experience were in a pharmacogenetics research laboratory at the Mayo Clinic. During this time, Ms. Thomae participated on many projects leading to multiple publications and is named inventor on a patent. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois. Ms. Thomae is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.

Brian C. Haussmann joined Tabet DiVito & Rothstein in June 2008. He has experience in a broad range of complex commercial litigation, including trade secrets cases, strict product liability lawsuits, insurance coverage matters, and antitrust actions. He also has extensive experience in all phases of the litigation process, including depositions, expert discovery, oral arguments, trials and appeals. Before Joining Tabet DiVito & Rothstein, Mr. Haussmann was a litigation associate at Jenner & Block. He graduated cum laude from Cornell Law School in 2004, where he served as Note Editor for the Cornell Law Review. He also served as a legal intern at the Cornell Legal Aid Clinic, where he represented clients pro bono before administrative tribunals and in New York State and Federal Court. Mr. Haussman received his B.A., with High Distinction, in Philosophy and Germanic Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington in 2001. Mr. Haussman is admitted to practice law in Illinois, as well as in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois and the Northern District of Indiana. Mr. Haussmann is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association.

Brian Johnson received his B.A. from Lewis University and his law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2007, and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association.

Brian Koch is an associate in Wiedner & McAuliffe's Chicago office. Mr. Koch is a member of the Firm's Workers' Compensation Defense Practice. Mr. Koch graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1993, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Advertising. He earned a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in May of 1997. Before joining Wiedner & McAuliffe, Mr. Koch served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago, and prosecuted cases in the Traffic Court Division. Mr. Koch then worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois from 1998 through 2000. Mr. Koch prosecuted violators of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Processes Act as a member of the Consumer Fraud Bureau of the Attorney General's Springfield and Chicago offices. Mr. Koch is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Will County Bar Association, the Kane County Bar Association, and the Workers' Compensation Lawyers' Association. He is a licensed member of the Illinois Bar.

Mr. Rudd was born in Chicago and raised in Plainfield, Illinois. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Peace, War, and Defense. He earned his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School in May 2008. Mr. Rudd became an associate with Power & Cronin in the Winter of 2009. Mr. Rudd is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the DuPage County Bar Association.

BRIDGET A. NEUSON, RN, BSN, JD practices in the areas of employment law, workers' compensation and civil litigation. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, The American Association of Nurse Attorneys, and the Chicago Area Nurse Attorneys Association. Ms. Neuson is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Illinois State Courts, and the Federal District Courts in Illinois. Ms. Neuson has been a registered nurse since 1985, and received her bachelor's degree in nursing from Loyola University of Chicago (1985) and her Juris doctorate., with high honors, from Chicago-Kent College of Law (1994), where she was a member of the Law Review. Ms. Neuson is a co-author of "Recent Developments in Employment Law," Tort and Insurance Law Journal, Vol. 37, No. 2, 2002. Ms. Neuson frequently speaks to business and professional groups on the subjects of employment law, workers' compensation, discrimination law, and litigation.

Bruce Engel is a partner in our Chicago office. Bruce represents insurers and reinsurers worldwide. His practice primarily involves reinsurance and insurance coverage analysis, litigation and arbitration in a wide variety of areas. Bruce currently serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Reinsurance Practice Group. Bruce is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association and ARIAS (AIDA Reinsurance & Insurance Arbitration Society). Bruce has authored a number of articles analyzing reinsurance related issues. Bruce has recently been named a 2006 "Illinois Super Lawyer" in the area of insurance coverage, which is a distinction only awarded to the top 5% of practicing attorneys in Illinois. This recognition is listed in the February 2006 issue of Chicago magazine's "Illinois Super Lawyers" Special Advertising Section, as well as Illinois Super Lawyers magazine. In addition, Bruce has been recognized by his peers as a Leading Lawyer in a survey by Law Bulletin Publishing Company and listed on LeadingLawyers.com.

Bruce MacLennan is a Partner in the firm?s New York office and a member of the Corporate Practice Group. Bruce focuses his practice on domestic and cross-border transactions involving clients primarily in Asia, Israel, and the United States, in the areas of private equity and venture capital fund formation and related portfolio investment transactions, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and related transactions. Bruce has extensive experience in representing Japanese and foreign companies in venture financing and private equity transactions, venture fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, buyouts, joint ventures and strategic alliances. He advises foreign clients in the U.S. and abroad in private and public finance, as well as in technology licensing and global structuring (corporate). Prior to joining Herrick, Bruce was a Tokyo-based corporate lawyer for over eight years with Morrison & Foerster?s Asian Corporate Finance Group, where he was a member of the firm?s M&A, Emerging Companies and Venture Capital (Tokyo office representative), Private Equity Funds, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences and Israel practice groups. While pursuing his law degree at the University of Washington School of Law, Bruce was the Executive Articles Editor of the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal. Bruce is admitted to the bar in Illinois and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is also proficient in both Japanese and Spanish.

JD 1977, University of Southern California; BA 1973, Stanford University. Phi Beta Kappa. Bruce Ross-Shannon concentrates his practice in the area of commercial real estate and development including purchases, sales, exchanges and leases of commercial, industrial and retail properties. In connection with these transactions Bruce assists clients with tax-deferred exchanges, zoning, annexation, leasing and financing. Bruce is a member of the Winnebago County Bar Association (President 2004/2005), Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, and California Bar Association (inactive). Bruce served many years as a trustee and officer of the Natural Land Institute, is active in environmental causes and is the Chairman of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission (2006-).

Bryan D. McCarty practices in the area of workers' compensation defense and litigation defense. Mr. McCarty was born in Spokane, Washington and earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Washington State University in 2002 and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2007. He was admitted to practice before the Illinois Supreme Court in 2007 and subsequently gained admission to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He joined Power & Cronin, Ltd. in 2008. Mr. McCarty is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association. He can be reached at bryan.mccarty@powercronin.com bryan.mccarty@powercronin.com .

From 1991 to 1994, Ms. Gloor was associated with the firm of Holstein, Mack & Klein, where she concentrated in real estate acquisitions and sales and mortgage foreclosure litigation, and from 1994 to 1995 she was associated with the firm of Strauss & Malk, where she continued her practice in commercial real estate, including acquisition and development of commercial real estate, real estate title work and commercial real estate leasing. Ms. Gloor joined the law firm of Friedman & Holtz, P.C., in November, 1995 and continues to concentrate her practice in all aspects of real estate. Ms. Gloor is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association, and has taught legal ethics for paralegals at the Paralegal Institute of Loyola University and secured lending at the American Institute of Banking.

Carolyn is married to John Roscich with whom she has practiced since 1981. They have two children and seven grandchildren. They reside in Naperville and are actively involved in community activities.

Catherine K. Cosimi is an Associate in our Workers' Compensation Department and has been with the Firm since June of 2006. Catherine is based in the Carbondale, Illinois office.