WORK EXPERIENCE

Circuit Court Judge (Elected 8th Judicial Subcircuit, Nov. 2012)

Law Division, Motions Section, Jan. 2014—present

Chancery Division, Foreclosure Section, Feb. 2013—Dec. 2013

Municipal Division, Traffic Section, Dec. 2012—Feb. 2013

As part of my commitment to access to justice, I am the only judge in Illinois to publish   (on the chief judge’s website) my nearly 200 written opinions.  I also publish each  appellate and supreme court opinion from my written or oral rulings.

By the end of my private and public practice, I had tried 25 jury and bench trials in State and Federal court and had drafted and/or argued 25 appeals in State court as well as the  Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Federal circuit courts of appeal.

Public Practice—City of Chicago

Deputy Corporation Counsel, Torts Division, Apr. 2008—Dec. 2012

Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel, Torts Division, July 1999—Apr. 2008

Assistant Corporation Counsel, Torts and Appeals Divisions, Dec. 1995—July 1999

I supervised 33 attorneys and 12 support staff and all long-term and day-to-day division functions.  I assisted in drafting the city’s emergency operations plan, served as the HIPAA privacy officer, and MMSEA responsible reporting agent.  I personally defended high-exposure, wrongful-death and personal-injury cases and mass-casualty and class-action claims, including In re E2 Nightclub, In re 713 W. Wrightwood Porch Collapse, In re 69 W. Washington Fire, and In re Rain Blockers Flooding.  My work included substantial discovery experience as well as motion drafting and oral argument.

Private Practice

Associate, Levin & Funkhouser, Ltd., Oct. 1993—Sept. 1994

Associate, Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd., Sept. 1990—Oct. 1993

Associate, Schiff Hardin & Waite, Sept. 1987—Aug. 1990

I represented clients in commercial litigation practice in federal and state trial and appellate courts in matters ranging from chapter 7 bankruptcy, RICO, constitutional free speech, defamation, contract litigation, historic preservation, and criminal appellate representation.  I assisted in judicial prosecutions before the Illinois Courts Commission.

Summer Associate, May—Aug. 1986, White & Case

Summer Associate, May—Aug. 1985, Schiff Hardin & Waite

Legislative Practice—United States House of Representatives

Legislative Assistant, Hon. Jim Moody, Washington, D.C., Jan. 1983—June 1984

Legislative Aide, Hon. Arlen Erdahl, Washington, D.C., Sept. 1981—Dec. 1982

I handled foreign affairs, international trade, and select intelligence matters and drafted and managed passage of H.R. 5640, to control federally owned hazardous waste facilities as part of the Superfund Reauthorization Act of 1984.

Other Employment

Litigation Project Assistant, Kirkland & Ellis, July 1980—July 1981

EDUCATION

Northwestern University School of Law, Juris Doctor, June 1987

Editor-in-Chief, Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business, Mar. 1986—Mar. 1987.  Comment, Internationalization of the World’s Securities Markets: Potential Problems for United States Shareholders, 7 Nw. J. Int’l L. & Bus. 532 (1986).

Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Team.  Best Memorials, National Championship, Mar. 1986; Championship Team, Best Speaker, Best Memorials, Middle-West Region, Feb. 1986.

Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, Bachelor of Arts, June 1980.

Richter International Scholar, 1979.  Conducted independent research in Republic of South Africa, Dec. 1978—June 1979.  Completed 170-page thesis comprised of The United Party and Capitalist Development and A Comparative Analysis of the Decision-Making Processes of the United and National Parties.

Certificate of African Studies.  Awarded for interdisciplinary work in five departments with African content.

Majors in History (with honors) and Political Science.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University Law School, Fall 2003-05.  Instruction of second- and third-year students in trial-advocacy program.

MEMBERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago (Board of Directors, 2001—present), Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening, Chicago Council of Lawyers, AIDS Living Remembrance Project (Board of Directors, 1997-99).