Chicago Council of Lawyers evaluations in contested subcircuit elections

Voters in the far north-suburban 12th Subcircuit and far south-suburban 15th Subcircuit will have a say in the election of one judge each. Voters in the far northwest suburban 13th Subcircuit will have a say in the election of three judges.

The Chicago Council of Lawyers has issued ratings for the candidates in each of these contested races. (To access the complete Council report for all judicial candidates on the November ballot, including retention candidates, click here.)

Here are the Council's evaluations of candidates in the contested subcircuit contests:

12th Subcircuit

Vacancy of the Hon. William O. Maki

David Lawrence Studenroth -- Qualified

David Lawrence Studenroth was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1987. In 1987 he became an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney. In 1998 he began a solo practice focusing on criminal defense matters.

Mr. Studenroth is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. He has litigation experience and is reported to be a solid practitioner. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.

Joel Chupack -- Qualified

Joel Chupack was admitted to practice in 1982. He is a partner in the private practice firm of Heinrich & Kramer P.C, with an emphasis in real estate related litigation, including foreclosure, tax deed, eviction, building court, mechanics’ liens, chancery actions, and probate. He has presided over 200 arbitrations as a member of the Commercial Panel of the American Arbitration Association. He reports having an active litigation practice. From 1986 to 1990 he was a litigation associate with McBride Baker & Coles. Mr. Chupak is active in Bar Association activities and has worked on real estate related legislation as a member of the ISBA Real Estate Section Council. He is considered to have good legal ability and is reported to be very knowledgeable about his areas of practice. He has a good temperament and is hard-working. He is praised for his work as an arbitrator. He has litigation experience. In general, Mr. Chupack is considered to be a good lawyer. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.

13th Subcircuit

Vacancy of the Hon. Clayton J. Crane

Gary W. Seyring -- Qualified

Gary W. Seyring was admitted to practice in 1978. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. He is a solo practitioner focusing on domestic relations, real estate, estate planning, tax planning, and business law. A substantial percentage of Mr. Seyring’s practice involves litigation. He is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.

Ketki Shroff Steffen -- Qualified

Ketki Shroff Steffen was admitted to practice in 1991. She was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2015 and served until December 2016. She was a career Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County. She reports being lead counsel in 30 trials that have gone to a jury verdict and over 500 that have gone to a bench verdict. She has litigated 13 cases on appeal. Ms. Steffen is reported to have good legal ability and temperament. She enjoys a reputation as a trusted and experienced criminal law litigator. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.

Vacancy of the Hon. Jeffrey Lawrence

Daniel P. Fitzgerald – Qualified

Daniel P. Fitzgerald was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1991. Since 2005, he has worked as a litigation attorney for the Walgreen Company, where he currently serves as Senior Counsel. He focuses on health care litigation but has also handled employment law and environmental law cases. Previously, he was Chief Legal Counsel and Chief of the Bureau of Administrative Litigation of the Office of the Inspector General, Illinois Department of Health Care and Family Services (2002-2005); General Counsel to the Illinois Racing Board (1999-2002); Assistant State’s Attorney in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office (1993-1999); and Judicial Law Clerk in the Cook County Circuit Court, Chancery Division (1991-1993).

Mr. Fitzgerald is considered to have good legal ability with a wide range of litigation and other legal experience. He has handled complex litigation on his own and as a supervisor of outside counsel. His is reported to possess a good temperament. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.

Shannon P. O’Malley – Not Recommended

Shannon P. O’Malley did not participate in the evaluation process. The Council finds him Not Recommended for the Circuit Court.

Vacancy of the Hon. Ann O’Donnell

Alice Christine Svenson – Qualified

Alice Christine Svenson was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1995. She is the Principal at Svenson Law Offices, where she focuses on family law, federal and state election law, and employment law. Previously, she handled workers compensation cases at Stone and Johnson (Associate and Partner, 1998-2008) and at Ridge and Downes (Associate, 1995-1998). She has participated in serval bar associations including the Republican National Lawyers Association, where she served on the Board of Governors and as the Finance Chair and the Illinois State Chapter Chair. She has provided pro bono legal services to divorced fathers through the organization Fathers Helping Fathers.

Ms. Svenson has a variety of legal experiences, including litigation experience in workers compensation cases and domestic relations matters. She has relatively little recent trial experience, although she maintains a motion practice. Respondents say she has demonstrative good litigation skills and she is reported to have a good temperament. There have been a few client complaints concerning her diligence, but on balance, she appears to be a good practitioner. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.

Hon. Samuel J. Betar III – Qualified

Hon. Samuel J. Betar, III was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1983. Since 2012, he has served as an Associate Judge assigned to the Third Municipal District, where he handles traffic, criminal, domestic violence, housing, civil and parentage matters. He was appointed as a Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2017. His previous assignments include Domestic Relations, Third Municipal District (2003-2012), Post Judgment Collections, First Municipal District (1999-2003), and First Municipal District, Housing Court (1999). He was also an Associate at Arnold and Kadjan, where he handled labor law and litigation (1991-1998); an Associate at Kamensky and Rubinstein, where he handled commercial litigation (1986-1991), and an Associate at the Botti Law Firm (1983-1986). He is a member of several bar associations, including the Northwest Suburban bar association, where he has Co-Chaired the Matrimonial Law Committee.

Lawyers appearing before Judge Betar consider him to have good legal ability and to have good temperament. He is praised for his ability to manage a large call and for his patience and communication skills with litigants and lawyers. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.

15th Subcircuit

Vacancy of the Hon. Frank G. Zelezinski

Karla Marie Fiaoni—Qualified

Karla Marie Fiaoni was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1989. Since 2001, she has been the Sole Practitioner and Owner of the Law Office of Karla Marie Fiaoni in Homewood, IL. Her legal practice is focused on criminal defense, family law, and Secretary of State Administration hearings. She has previously served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney Office (1989-1994), the Chief of Police of the City of Chicago Heights, IL (1994-1996), and Project Director of the Domestic Violence Unit of the City of Chicago Heights. She is a Member and Past President of two bar associations: the Women’s Criminal Defense Bar Association and the South Suburban Bar Association.

Ms. Fiaoni is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. She has a variety of legal experiences. She is respected as a solid lawyer who cares about her clients and who is a zealous advocate for them. Ms. Fiaoni has a range of experience which translates well into what is needed for her to be a good judge. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.

Scott Darrell McKenna -- Qualified

Scott Darrell McKenna was admitted to practice in 1996. Mr. McKenna is currently a partner at Best, Vanderlaan & Harrington. He is the principal trial attorney for a caseload of approximately 175 civil cases. He also is responsible for interviewing and hiring attorneys, mentoring attorneys, reviewing client bills and management of the firm. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. McKenna was an associate at Richard B. Bogich & Associates (now known as Winters Salzetta O’Brien & Richardson). He handled plaintiff personal injury matters at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. McKenna is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. His career includes law firm management and extensive experience as a litigator in civil matters. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.

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From the Council's explanation of its candidate ratings:

The Council rates candidates as “highly qualified,” “well qualified,” “qualified,” or “not qualified.” If a candidate refuses to submit his or her credentials to the Council, that candidate is rated “not recommended” unless the Council is aware of credible information that would justify a “not qualified” rating. Because we believe a willingness to participate in bar association and other public evaluations is a key indicator of fitness for public office, no candidate who refuses to be screened can be found “qualified.”

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The Council does not evaluate candidates based on their substantive views of political or social issues. Nor do we take into account the particular race in which a candidate is running or the candidates against whom a candidate is running. We apply a uniform standard for all countywide and subcircuit elections because judges elected through either method can be assigned to any judicial position in the Circuit Court.