Steven J. Fruth – Qualified
Steven J. Fruth graduated from the John Marshall Law School in 1976 and received his license to practice in November of that year. He has been in private practice concentrating in personal injury litigation since 1977. Mr. Fruth is regarded as a well-prepared and hard-working trial lawyer. He is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. The Council finds Mr. Fruth Qualified to serve in Circuit
Court.
Maritza Martinez -- Qualified
Maritza Martinez was admitted to practice in 1989. Since 2005 she has been an associate at the Law Offices of Robert Fisher doing criminal defense work. In 2004, she was at a small firm doing insurance defense and catastrophic loss work, and from 1991 until 2004, she was with the City of Chicago Department of Law doing prosecution and civil rights defense. Prior to 1991, she spent two years at a small firm doing real estate work. Since November 2007, she has also served part-time as a hearing officer with the Illinois Court of Claims, conducting trials and making recommendations to the Court of Claims judges regarding the disposition of various claims against the State of Illinois. She also currently serves on the Inquiry Board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. Ms. Martinez reports that she has litigation experience in both state and federal courts, acting as lead counsel in two jury trials in criminal law matters, three juries in civil matters, and numerous prosecutions involving bench trials in municipal ordinance violations. Ms. Martinez is reported to have good legal ability and is considered knowledgeable about her areas of practice. She has had litigation experience in a variety of areas and she is reported to possess a good temperament. She is active in community activities. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Ann Finley Collins – Well Qualified
Ann Collins was admitted in 1985. She is currently an Assistant Public Defender dealing with homicide cases. As lead trial counsel she has brought 75 criminal cases to a jury verdict and 60 to a bench verdict. Ann Collins is reported to have excellent legal ability and is praised as a fair but zealous advocate for her clients. She has a professional demeanor and is widely respected as a lawyer. The Council finds her Well Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Pamela McLean Meyerson -- Qualified
Pamela McLean Meyerson was admitted to practice in 1983. Since 1989, she has been a sole practitioner, handling civil and commercial litigation in the Circuit Court of Cook County. She also organizes and advises small businesses. Between 1983 and 1985 she was in private practice at Antonow & Fink and was an associate with Goldberg Kohn Bell Black Rosenbloom & Moritz between 1985 and 1989. She teaches trial practice at the University of Chicago Law School. Ms. Meyerson reports no jury trial experience but has acted as lead counsel in 17 civil law bench trials. Ms. Meyerson is reported to have good legal ability and a professional demeanor. She is respected as a hard-working, knowledgeable, and highly ethical practitioner. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
John Michael Lagattuta – Qualified
John Lagattuta was admitted to practice in 1985. He spent his initial three years in practice as an Assistant States’ Attorney in Cook County, followed by eleven years of general practice as an associate or sole practitioner handling a variety of civil and criminal litigation as well as real estate and domestic relations matters. Since 1999 he has held a variety of positions with the State Department of Financial and Profession Regulation, working his way up from a staff attorney prosecuting wayward doctors to the Acting Deputy Director of Statewide Enforcement, supervising approximately 20 attorneys and staff members, as well as handling legislative and policy matters. He has had extensive criminal and some civil litigation experience in his various positions. He is reported to have good legal ability and temperament. The Council finds him Qualified to serve in the Circuit Court.
Pamela M. Leeming – Not Qualified (Evaluated for Associate Judge in 2004 and reviewed in 2009. She was appointed to fill a judicial vacancy by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2009)
Pamela M. Leeming was appointed to the Circuit Court by the Illinois Supreme Court in October 2009. Before becoming a judge, she served an Assistant Cook County Public Defender since her admission to practice in 1990. She concentrated her practice in the areas of paternity, criminal misdemeanor, preliminary hearings, a variety of other pre-and post-trial matters, and appeals. Ms. Leeming is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. The Council is concerned, however, about the lack of breadth and depth in her legal experience, as well as an absence of sufficient experience in more complex litigation matters. The Council finds her Not Qualified for the Circuit Court at this time.
Thomas David Bilyk -- Qualified
Thomas Bilyk was admitted to practice in 1983. He is currently the Chief of the Juvenile Justice Division of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He is a career prosecutor. From 1998 to 2007 he served in the Special Prosecutions Bureau. He has also served as the Supervisor of the Public Corruption and Financial Crimes Unit. He was assigned to the felony trial division between 1987 and 1998. He has extensive litigation experience in both jury and bench criminal law trials. Mr Bilyk is considered to be a very knowledgeable and able prosecutor with a wide variety of experiences in more complex criminal law matters. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Lisa A. Marino – Qualified
Lisa Ann Marino was admitted to practice in 1988. She is currently a sole practitioner focusing on real estate and zoning issues. From 1993 to 1997, she was an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney in the civil division, real estate tax unit. From 1988 to 1993 she was an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney where she conducted more than 200 misdemeanor bench trials and traffic offenses, and handled felony financial crime cases. Ms. Marino is considered to be very knowledgeable about her area of practice and she is reported to be a good lawyer with a good
temperament. She has experience in more complex litigation matters. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Eugene Joseph Berkes – Not Qualified
Eugene Joseph Berkes was admitted to practice in 1983. He is a sole practitioner with a general practice of law. As part of his practice, he serves as an administrative law judge for the City of Berwyn, and is the elected City Clerk for the City of Berwyn. He reports acting as lead counsel in one jury trial, 60 civil bench trials, and 5 criminal bench trials. Respondents consider Mr. Berkes to have good legal ability and to possess a good temperament. The Council is concerned, however, that much of his practice has been involved in less complex litigation matters or in the real estate area. The Council believes a judge must have experience in complex litigation matters before taking the bench. In addition, his practice lacks sufficient breadth. The Council finds Mr. Berkes Not Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Kim R. Kardas – Well Qualified
Kim R. Kardas has been a lawyer since 1980. He has been a sole practitioner since 2004, specializing in both criminal and civil litigation. From 1992 to 2004, he was a partner in the firm of Belgrade & O’Donnell, litigating construction defense, maritime, admiralty and product liability cases. He was a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney between 1981 and 1992 doing juvenile and adult criminal prosecutions. He was an adjunct professor at John Marshall law school between 1991 and 2000, teaching trial advocacy. He has extensive civil and criminal trial experience. Lawyers report that he has very good legal ability and temperament. He is widely praised for being well-prepared and hard-working. He has experience in both the civil and criminal law areas. The Council finds him Well Qualified for the Circuit Court.
John W. Chwarzynski – Not Recommended
Mr. Chwarzynski refused to be evaluated. The Council finds him Not Recommended for the Circuit Court.
Radusa Ostojic - Qualified
Radusa Ostojic was admitted to practice in 1986. She has been in private practice throughout her career doing tort litigation. She reports litigating 19 civil jury cases to verdict and an unspecified number of bench trials to verdict. She is praised for her pro bono activities. Ms. Ostojic is reported to have good legal ability and is praised for her management and litigation skills. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
(Note: An objection to this candidate's nominating petitions was recently sustained by the Cook County Electoral Board. The Illinois State Board of Elections does not yet show a final disposition and an appeal is reportedly pending.
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