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  • December 20, 2012 | People
    John Cobb Williams 1930-2012

    John Cobb Williams, 82, of Wilmette, IL and Naples, FL, died Friday, November 30, 2012 at Avow Hospice of Naples.

    He was born in Wilmette, the son of Ralph M. and Mary (Cobb) Williams.

    He graduated from New Trier High School, Wesleyan College and Yale Law School. In college he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and particularly enjoyed singing in the school's choir.

    He married Helen Grace Gilbert, of Kenilworth, IL, in 1955 at Kenilworth Union Church. Three daughters were born soon thereafter - Holly Montague (Larry Gniadek) of Mount Prospect, IL, Nancy Williams (Sandy Morrison) of Portland, OR and Sarah Mason Williams (Gabriel Ramirez) of Los Angeles, CA.

    John spent his entire legal career as a partner at the Chicago office of Sidley & Austin, specializing in trusts and estates. He served many years on the Village Board of Northbrook, IL, including a four year term as Village President. He contributed extensive work to the Illinois Bar Association. John particularly enjoyed his community of friends, traveling, tennis, reading, writing, and singing in the Glencoe Union Church choir.

  • December 20, 2012 | People
    Lyn Cima 1936-2012

    Lyn (Carter) Cima, 75, formerly of Gurnee, died in Greenville, Maine on Oct.20.

    After her husband was killed in a car accident in 1971, she obtained a law degree at John Marshall Law School and raised their six children as a single mom. She was an active member of the Lake Forest Friends (Quakers) Meeting.

    Lyn, the daughter of John and Mary Jane Carter was born in Camden, New Jersey and attended the University of Chicago at age 16, where she met her husband, Augustin Cima. They married in 1955.

    She vehemently opposed the war in Vietnam War. She marched, refused to pay war taxes, boycotted Hostess and edited the newsletter for the North Shore branch of the WILPF. She was a Draft Counselor during those turbulent years, and was arrested drawing attention to the Army's illegal surveillance of anti-war citizens. (Charges were dropped.)

    She joined the Lake Forest Friends Meeting and convened its Peace and Social Concerns Committee. Lyn was among the early organizers of PADS, Lake County's still-active community effort to feed and shelter the homeless. Until recently, she taught literacy to adult students and was honored when her student won Illinois' Spotlight Award for Literacy achievement.

  • December 20, 2012 | People
    Calvin H. Hall Sr. 1924-2012

    Calvin Hall Sr. had a distinguished career as an attorney and judge that spanned nearly 50 years.

    He started with the Chicago Housing Authority as a trial attorney and moved up to chief counsel. His work over 25 years to secure fair housing for those in need, along with his other CHA contributions, led the agency to give him its distinguished service award in 1982, said his son, Calvin Hall Jr.

    In 1984, he was appointed an associate judge of the Cook County Circuit Court, hearing domestic relations cases and tenant-landlord disputes. 

    "I worked right alongside him in domestic relations," said Chief Judge Timothy Evans. "He was a great lawyer, a wonderful judge and a very good friend."

    Mr. Hall, 88, died of a chronic lung condition Tuesday, Nov. 27, in his home on Chicago's Far South Side, his son said.

    Read the full obituary in the Chicago Tribune.

  • December 20, 2012 | People
    George M. Shur 1942-2012

    George Michael Shur, 70, of DeKalb, IL, died Sunday, Nov. 25 in Chicago. Born in 1942 in Portland, ME, to Barnett and Clarice (Geller) Shur, George spent his childhood in Portland and attended Colby College, then Boston University School of Law.

    He returned to Portland and joined the law firm of Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer, and Nelson, where he later became partner. In 1970, he met Martha West. From their first date on Valentine's Day she remained the love of his life, and they were blessed to celebrate their 42nd anniversary November 14.

  • December 20, 2012 | People
    Kenneth Jones Burns Jr. 1926-2012

    Kenneth Jones Burns, Jr., of Lake Bluff, Illinois, died peacefully with his family by his side on November 9 at age 86.

    He graduated from Evanston High School in 1944. Ken began dating his wife, Edi, while in high school. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1948, and Northwestern University School of Law in 1951. At Northwestern, Ken was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

    Ken served on active duty in the United States Naval Reserve in both WWII and the Korean War. Ken was a partner at the law firm of Jenner & Block from 1951 – 1972. He was Senior Vice-President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Anchor Hocking Corp. in Lancaster, Ohio from 1972 – 1979. He served as Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of IMCERA Group, Inc. (formerly International Minerals & Chemical Corp.) in Northbrook from 1979 – 1993. He was active in the American Bar Association, serving as Chairman of the Junior Bar Conference (1961-62), Assistant Secretary (1967 – 1971), Secretary (1971 – 1975), President of the American Bar Endowment (1983 – 1985), and President of the American Bar Foundation (1998 – 2000).

    Ken enjoyed spending time with his family, playing golf, reading, and cheering for Chicago’s sports teams. He was a member since 1966 and Past President of Skokie Country Club in Glencoe.

    He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Edith Mitten Burns, their six children, Debby (Jeff) Fox, K.J. (Kathy) Burns, III, Sarah (Larry) Barden, Libby (John) Donnell, Nancy (Jose) Silva, and Andrew (Jill) Burns, their 18 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

  • December 13, 2012 | People
    Mary Lee Leahy 1940-2012

    ISBA Laureate Mary Lee Leahy passed away Wednesday in Chicago. She was 72. Leahy was best known for winning the U.S. Supreme Court case Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois – which banned most political hiring. She passed away in her Chicago condominum following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

    Here is the bio from her 2001 Laureate induction: Two years after she graduated from law school in 1966, Mary Lee Leahy was principal attorney in the first of several landmark cases she has won in her distinguished career.

    Pickering versus Board of Education, argued in the U.S. Supreme Court, established the right of public employees to publicly criticize their employers.

    Perhaps her most familiar case – Rutan – was a class action decided in 1990 by the U.S. Supreme Court. It established the right of public employees to support or not to support a political party or candidate for public office without being denied promotion, transfer, recall from lay-off and employment due to a political patronage system. As the saying goes, "this changed everything."

  • December 6, 2012 | People
    John George leads team from Daley & George to Schuyler, Roche & Crisham

    Schuyler, Roche & Crisham, P.C. this week welcomed one of the Chicago area’s most highly respected real estate, land use and zoning legal teams to its ranks with the addition of John J. “Jack” George (shareholder), Chris A. Leach (partner) and Kathleen A. Duncan (Associate), all formerly of Daley & George.

    “I’ve always had great respect for the quality of people at Schuyler, Roche & Crisham, many of whom I’ve known personally and worked with over the years,” said George. “Their ethical standards and knowledge of the law are exceptional, and the business group’s expertise in employment and tax law and commercial litigation in particular is a perfect complement to our practice. Chris, Kate and I have been together a long time, and I’m confident we’ve found a great new home at Schuyler Roche.”

    Few if any major commercial developments in the Chicago area over the last two decades have taken place without Jack George’s legal involvement. The former Assistant Attorney General and Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago has established a reputation over the course of his 40-year legal career for his work ethic and case preparation, as well as a unique ability to successfully find common ground in the goals of the developer and the concerns of the community.

  • November 30, 2012 | People
    Richard Flood promoted to attorney with Kelley Kronenberg

    Kelley Kronenberg, a nationwide full-service law firm, has announced that Richard Flood has been promoted to an Attorney with the firm’s Chicago office. Mr. Flood was formerly a law clerk with the firm, and will focus his practice on the defense of claims arising under the Longshore and Harbor Act and the Defense Base Act (DBA).

    In 2012, Mr. Flood published “Inferring Race by Using Ancestry Informative Markers: (AIMS) as a Forensic Technique in the Courtroom” in the Criminal Law Bulletin. While in law school, he worked as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Jeremy Fogel of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.

    Mr. Flood received his undergraduate degree in Business Management from Louisiana State University. He then obtained his law degree from University of California, Davis. While in law school, he served as the Articles Editor for the UC Davis Law Journal.  He is licensed to practice law in Illinois and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

  • November 28, 2012 | People
    Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP welcomes 3 new associates

    Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP welcomes three new associates who were recently sworn in to the Illinois Bar.

    • Megan E. Donohue focuses her practice on Commercial Litigation and Business Disputes, Medical Negligence and Health, and Product Liability. Ms. Donohue received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2012 and her B.A. from Boston College in 2007.
    • Jonathan R. Walton focuses his practice on Product Liability, Commercial Litigation and Business Disputes, and Medical Negligence and Healthcare. Mr. Walton received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2012, and his B.A. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007.
    • Ryan C. Wheeler focuses his practice on Asbestos Litigation. He received his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2012 and his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 2007.
  • November 28, 2012 | People
    Stanley B. Balbach Sr. 1919-2012

    ISBA Laureate and Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. founder Stanley B. Balbach, Sr., 92 of Savoy died November 12, 2012 at his Savoy home.

    Mr. Balbach was born December 26, 1919 in Normal, the son of Nyle Jacob and Gertrude (Cory) Balbach. He married Sarah T. Witherspoon on May 22, 1944 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and she survives. He is also survived by a son, Byron Balbach. (Jeanne) of Urbana, daughters, Nancy Fehr (Tom) of St. George, Utah, Barbara Balbach-Haines (Jack) of Champaign, Edith Balbach of Palm Springs, California, six grandchildren, two step grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, seven step great grandchildren and one step great-great grandchild. He is preceded in death by a son, Jacob.