Don Sampen plans 2014 Appellate Court race

Chicago attorney Don Sampen is planning a bid for a seat on the First District Appellate Court. That's a link to Sampen's campaign website in the preceding sentence; a link has been added to the (still very short) list of Appellate Court candidates in the blog Sidebar.

Currently a partner with the Chicago firm of Clausen Miller, Sampen has appeared in trial and appellate courts around the country, litigating insurance coverage and other commercial matters. In addition to his law practice, Sampen has written extensively on legal topics, both for law reviews and (on a regular basis) for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. He also teaches part-time at Loyola University School of Law and has taught at Northwestern University and the Chicago-Kent School of Law. Licensed as an attorney in Illinois since 1975, Sampen began his career as clerk to Judge Philip W. Tone of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and later served as the Chief of the Public Interest and Special Litigation Divisions of the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Sampen has made two prior bids for the Appellate Court, in 2010 and 2012. He also ran for a 12th Subcircuit vacancy on the Circuit Court in 2006.