Past Presidents

Former Presidents remain vitally interested in the ongoing work of the Association. The Past Presidents Committee provides a convenient means to mobilize their collective efforts  whenever their help is requested by the current Officers and Board, and for special projects. The Committee also serves as a sounding board when requested.

• Chair Mike Reagan, (815) 434-1400

Moot Court

Each year, the Moot Court Committee organizes and hosts the ALA’s moot court competition. The committee sends invitation letters to law schools nationwide. They also write a full Record on Appeal, including a complaint, answer, trial court decision, notice of appeal, majority opinion, and dissent. The committee assembles judges to judge the competition in preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds. Call either Co-chair David Allen or Scott Howie if you’d like to join the committee, or visit the Moot Court section to find out more.

• Co-Chairs David Allen, (312) 463-3359; Scott Howie, (312) 578-7547
• Liz Butler
• Krista Frick
• Pam Gorcowski
• Kim Jansen
• Daniel Konieczny

Rules

The Rules Committee meets several times a year on an ad hoc basis to review proposed changes to existing rules and new rules of the Illinois Supreme Court, to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, and to the Seventh Circuit’s local rules. After Board consideration, representatives of the committee write to and appear before the Illinois Supreme Court’s Rules Committee to provide the ALA’s input on proposed modifications and additions. The Committee also formulates new rules or changes to existing rules to resolve particular ambiguities, issues and problems incurred under existing rules, and submits such proposals to the Board for its consideration.

• Co-chairs Alyssa Reiter, (312) 855-4879; Lawrence Weiner, (312) 494-5330
• Steve Pflaum

CLE Committee

Coordinates all luncheon and seminars to ensure compliance with rules administered by the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of Illinois.

• MCLE Coordinator Karen Dimond, (312) 603-6304

Web Site

The Web Site Committee works closely with the Web vendor to keep the site current. Let them know what you think about the site.

• Chair Stacey Mandell, (815) 338-5875
• William P. Hardy
• Paul Isaac
• Christine Olson McTigue
• Steve Merican

Cases Pending

The members of the Illinois Supreme Court Cases Pending Committee compile and synthesize data from the Illinois Supreme Court’s docket to provide ALA members with up-to-date information about current civil, criminal and disciplinary matters before the Court. The CP team publishes a catalogue of all civil, non-capital criminal and contested disciplinary cases pending at the conclusion of each Illinois Supreme Court term—five times each year.

• Co-chairs Jean Prendergast,
  (312) 565-2400;
  Joanne R. Driscoll, (312) 641-1441; Clare J. Quish, (312) 565-8383
• Leah Bendik
• James E. Fitzgerald
• James Grogan
• Clare J. Quish

The Brief

The Brief, the Association’s newsletter, comes out two-four times each year and includes photographs and articles describing the Association’s meetings, events and activities. It also provides recent rule changes and recent developments in appellate law or other issues of interest to the appellate practitioner. Committee members write the case summaries that appear in each issue. Past issues are available to members in an archive.

• Co-chairs Karen DeGrand, (312) 422-0910; Charlie Ingrassia, (815) 338-5875
• Elizabeth P. Butler
• Katherine A. Grosh
• William P. Hardy
• Charles E. Harper, Jr.
• Myriam Z. Kasper
• Stacey Mandell
• Hal. R. Morris
• Gerald B. Mullin
• E. King Poor
• Joshua M. Schneider
• Stanley L. Tucker
• William A. Zolla
• Michael J. Zopf  
  

Seminars

The Seminars Committee organizes two or three programs a year designed to help attorneys who practice in the Illinois Appellate Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Some seminars are geared for the novice or occasional appellate practitioner, while others are designed for the experienced appellate attorney. The committee also works to insure that seminar participants receive Continuing Legal Education credit.

• Co-chairs Richard D. Chase,
  (618) 398-0958;
  Steve Pflaum, (312) 269-8038
• Brad Elward
• William P. Hardy
• John D. Mitchell
• Clare J. Quish