These are the ratings for candidates seeking countywide judicial vacancies issued today by the Chicago Council of Lawyers:
Brennan Vacancy
Howard B. Brookins, Jr. -- Qualified
Howard B. Brookins, Jr. was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1988. He is Alderman of the 21st Ward of the City of Chicago (2003-present) and the Owner and Sole Practitioner of the Law Offices of Howard B. Brookins, Jr. (1987-present). Previously, he was a Partner at Brookins & Wilson (1993-1997); the Principal at Howard B. Brookins, Jr., P.C. (1990-1993); an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney Office, Juvenile Court Division; and an Assistant Public Defender in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, Traffic Court Division (1988-89).
Ald. Brookins is considered to have good legal ability with litigation experience in more complex matters. He is reported to be well prepared and thorough. He has a reputation for being honest and fair, with a strong sense of justice. He is reported to have a calm, professional temperament. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Ubi O. O’Neal -- Not Recommended
Ubi O. O’Neal did not participate in the evaluation process. The Council finds Ubi O. O’Neal to be Not Recommended for the Circuit Court.
Lisa Taylor -- Qualified
Lisa Taylor was admitted to practice in Illinois in 2001. She is in private practice with experience in plaintiff’s personal injury and medical negligence practice area. She has also handled criminal defense matters. She was a member of the City of Chicago Board of Ethics between 2009 and 2012. From 2001 to 2002 she was an associate with Sitko & Hoffman handling automobile claims and insurance coverage litigation. From 2002 to 2005, she did litigation at Pretzel & Stouffer. From 2005 to 2013, she was an Associate and then Partner with Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith handling litigation and appellate work for insurance clients.
Ms. Taylor was widely praised for her legal ability. She reports handling relatively few actual trials but has extensive pretrial litigation experience. She is described as “thorough” and knowledgeable about her area of law. She is reported to have good temperament. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Callahan Jr. Vacancy
Mary Bernadette McMahon -- Qualified
Mary McMahon was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2005. Since that time, she has served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney Office, where she currently serves as Supervisor for the Second Municipal District (2021-present). Her previous assignments there include Deputy Supervisor for the Third Municipal District (2019-2021). She has also served in the Felony Trial Division (2011-2019), Felony Review and Preliminary Hearings Unit (2009-2011), Narcotics Prosecutions Bureau (2006-2009), and the First Municipal District (2005-2006).
Mary McMahon is considered to have good legal ability, and as a career prosecutor has substantial litigation experience. Respondents praise her temperament and integrity. She is considered to have good litigation skills. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Suzanne Therese McEneely -- Qualified
Suzanne McEneely was admitted to practice in 2001. She is a career Assistant Cook County Public Defender with the exception of her first year of practice when she was an associate with a civil litigation firm.
Ms. McEneely is considered to have good legal ability and is praised for her litigation skills and her diligence. She is also praised for her knowledge of the law. She has substantial litigation experience in more complex criminal law matters. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Hon. Tracie R. Porter -- Qualified
The Hon. Tracie R. Porter was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1994. She was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2021. As a lawyer, she was a Solo Practitioner with a focus on general business law, real estate, estate planning, probate, and entertainment law and a professor of law at the Abraham Lincoln School of Law and Western State College of Law. Previously, she taught law classes at the St. Louis University School of Law (2010), Southern Illinois University (2009-2012), IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law (2004-2009), and the UIC Law School (2004-2006). She handled real estate matters as a Senior Real Estate Associate at Brown Udell & Pomerantz, Ltd. (2003-2004) and as a Commercial Real Estate/Corporate Associate at Barnes & Thornburg (2000-2003). In addition, she was a Labor Litigation Attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor (1994-1998).
The Hon. Tracie R. Porter is considered to be exceptionally knowledgeable and is or has been on the faculty of several law schools. She has multiple articles on legal topics published in law reviews. She is very active in bar association activities and she is admired for her community involvement. She has litigation experience. She was well respected as a practitioner, as a person working for community interests, and as a teacher. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Cannon Vacancy
Hon. Diana E. Lopez -- Qualified
The Hon. Diana E. Lopez was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2001. She was elected by the Circuit Court to be an Associate Judge in 2021. Before becoming a judge, she was the Sole Shareholder and President of the Lopez Law Group, P.C., where she focused on civil litigation in both family law and adoption law. She also handled family law and adoption matters for Monteagudo, Lopez and Diaz, LLC, where between 2006 and 2010 she was an Attorney and Managing Partner. From 2001 to 2004, she served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney Office, where she was assigned to the Child Support Enforcement Division and the Juvenile Protection Division, Abuse and Neglect. She has worked with the National Immigrant Justice Center as a volunteer pro bono attorney for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Predicate Orders and has also provided pro bono legal services through the Chicago Bar Association’s Call a Lawyer Program and its Lawyer Referral Service for Family Law. She is a member of a number of bar associations, including the Chicago Bar Association, where she sits on the Adoption Law Committee and the Domestic Relations Committee; the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, where she sits on the Latina Commission; the Illinois State Bar Association; and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.
Judge Lopez is considered to have good legal ability. She is praised for her temperament and for litigation skills. She had substantial litigation experience before becoming a judge. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Monica Gail Somerville -- Qualified
Monica Gail Somerville was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1990. From 2018 through January 2021, she served as Deputy Director of Accounts Receivable and Cost Recovery of the Department of Finance of the City of Chicago. She has also worked for City of Chicago’s Committee on Finance, where she served as Director of Workers’ Compensation, Police and Fire Claims (2013-2017); the Illinois Department of Employment Security, she served as an Administration Law Judge (2003-2007) and a Supervising Administrative Law Judge (2009-2013); the U.S. Postal Service Law Department, where she served as an Attorney (2007-2009); the City of Chicago’s Corporation Counsel’s Office, where she served as Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel (2000-2001) and Assistant Corporation Counsel (1989-1997); and the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, where she served as Litigation Counsel (1997-2000). She is a member of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Cook County Bar Association, and the Women’s Bar of Illinois. She reports being lead counsel in 11 jury trials and 50 bench trials, mostly early in her career.
Ms. Somerville is considered to have good legal ability. She is praised for her supervisor skills and for her ability to manage complex government programs. She has litigation experience. She is reported to have good temperament. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Mable Taylor -- Not Qualified
Mable Taylor was admitted to practice in 1994. She is a sole practitioner doing both criminal and civil law matters. Some lawyers report that she is a good lawyer with good temperament. She has demonstrated her commitment to public service. However, while Ms. Taylor has litigation experience, the Council is concerned that she lacks sufficient experience in more complex matters, and there are reports that she has on occasion not followed proper court procedures. In addition, she showed questionable judgment during the evaluation process through her unwillingness to cooperate fully with the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening (which includes the Chicago Council of Lawyers) in its efforts to gather meaningful information about her record and candidacy. The Council finds her Not Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Hyman Vacancy
Thomas Edward Nowinski -- Qualified
Thomas Edward Nowinski was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2004. He is currently Chief of Staff for Cook County Circuit Court Clerk, Iris Martinez. He has worked for the Cook County State’s Attorney Office, where he was the deputy supervisor of the Torts and Litigation Civil Rights Litigation Unit of the Civil Actions Bureau. He previously served as deputy director of labor relations in the Office of the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (2012-2014); and as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Civil Actions Bureau (2008-2012) and the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau (2004-2008) of the Cook County State’s Attorney Office. Mr. Nowinski is a well-regarded attorney who is reported to have good legal ability. He has substantial litigation experience in a variety of areas including civil rights, torts, wrongful death, and class action matters. He is reported to have good trial skills and a good temperament. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Carmen Quinones -- Not Qualified
Carmen Quinones was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1989. She is a sole practitioner. Much of her current practice is as a child representative appointed by Circuit Judges.
Ms. Quinones is considered to have good legal ability. She is praised for the way she treats the children she represents as a child representative. The Council is concerned, however, with numerous reports about her diligence. Lawyers too often report that she does not do her job in a timely way within the litigation process. The Council finds her Not Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Ingram Vacancy
Elizabeth “Beth” Ryan -- Qualified
Elizabeth Ryan was admitted to practice in 2004 and concentrates her practice on civil litigation. After law school, she was a judicial clerk for Judge Martin Agran in the Chancery Division of Cook County Circuit Court. Ms Ryan focuses her practice on representing plaintiffs in auto accidents, animal attacks, slip-and-falls, sexual battery, and Social Security disability claims.
Ms. Ryan is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. She is praised for her litigation skills and she has substantial litigation experience in more complex matters. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Yolanda Harris Sayre -- Qualified
Yolanda H. Sayre was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1995. Since 1997, her primary employment has been with the Chicago Police Department (CPD), where she is an Attorney. Her duties at the CPD include training CPD personnel in civil rights laws, criminal laws and criminal procedures. In addition, she is a Solo Practitioner with a general law practice focusing on consulting, real estate transactions, contract negotiations, and other matters (1996-present) and also an Attorney/Hearing Officer at the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office (July 2019-present). Previously, she served as an Attorney/Hearing Officer at the Cook County and Chicago Boards of Election (2003-January 2019). She provides pro bono services to the First Municipal District Pro Bono Program, where she represents self-represented litigants.
Ms. Sayre is considered to have good legal ability and her temperament is unquestioned. She is praised for her knowledge of her particular practice areas. The Council is concerned that she has little litigation experience and that her practice area is narrow. On balance, the Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Leeming Vacancy
Hon. Rena Van Tine -- Well Qualified
The Hon. Rena Van Tine was elected to be an Associate Judge in 2001, and was appointed to be a Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2021. She is assigned to the Law Division, Jury Trial Section. She served as an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney for 12 years before becoming a judge, prosecuting criminal cases and defending medical malpractice cases against Cook County Hospital. She also served as Special Counsel to then Illinois State Comptroller Daniel W. Hynes.
Judge Van Tine was a well respected Assistant State’s Attorney before becoming a judge with a reputation of having good legal ability, temperament, and integrity. As a judge, she is praised for her legal knowledge, her temperament, and for her court management skills. The Council finds her Well Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Wende Williams -- Not Recommended
Wende Williams did not participate in the evaluation process. The Council finds Wende Williams Not Recommended for the Circuit Court.
Lynch Vacancy
Deidre Baumann -- Qualified
Deidre Baumann was admitted to practice in 1992. She is an owner of a small firm focusing on litigation in personal injury, employment discrimination, civil rights, legal malpractice, First Amendment, and general commercial litigation. From 1993 to 1996 she worked for a small firm doing trial and appellate litigation around First Amendment issues. From 1996 to 2001, she was a sole practitioner.
Respondents in our evaluation say Ms. Baumann has good legal ability, and that she has a good temperament. Ms. Baumann is reported to be a respected attorney with substantial litigation experience and a demonstrated commitment to court reform. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Paul Joyce -- Qualified
Paul J. Joyce was admitted to practice in 1991. He has spent most of his career with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He is currently a First Chair prosecutor in the Skokie Courthouse. He has substantial bench and jury trial experience.
Paul J. Joyce is considered to have good legal ability and to be very knowledgeable about the criminal law. He is a go-to person for advice and information. Both colleagues and opposing criminal defense counsel praise him for his honesty and integrity. He is reported to have a good temperament, and he is praised for being well prepared. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Michael Weaver -- Qualified
Michael Weaver was admitted to practice in 2006. He has been a partner with the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery since 2013. He was an Associate with this firm between 2007 and 2012. He has had substantial motion practice in complex matters and some experience with actual trials, as well. He is considered to have good legal ability and is praised for his litigation skills. He is reported to have good temperament and is involved in a substantial amount of pro bono work. The Council finds him Qualified for the Circuit Court.
McGury Vacancy
Hon. Ruth Isabel Gudino -- Qualified
The Hon. Ruth Isabel Gudino was admitted to practice in Illinois in 1995. She was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2021. For a majority of her career, Judge Gudino had been an Assistant State’s Attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She handled litigation in child support, juvenile delinquency matters, and traffic and misdemeanor offenses, though more recently she has focused on felony prosecution. In 2013, she became the Director of Legal Hiring for the Office. Ms. Gudino also has experience handling real estate and litigation for General Motors’ Union employees.
Judge Gudino is reported to have good legal ability. She is praised for having an even keel temperament and for being hard-working. As a prosecutor, she has extensive litigation experience in a variety of criminal law matters. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Chelsey Renece Robinson -- Qualified Chelsey R. Robinson was admitted to practice in 1996. She is a Partner in a small firm where she handles civil and criminal litigation matters. Her practice also includes bankruptcy and employment discrimination matters in federal court. She is widely praised for her legal ability and for her knowledge of the law. She has litigation experience in a variety of matters in both state and federal courts. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
O'Brien Vacancy
Hon. Araceli R. De La Cruz -- Qualified
The Hon. Araceli Reyes De La Cruz was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2001. She was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in January 2022. Before becoming a judge, she had been the General Counsel/Chief Administrative Officer for Arcero Schools, a larger Chicago charter school network. There, she handled a variety of matters, including student law, labor and employment, and corporate transactions. Previously, she was Chief of General Prosecutions at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations (2014-2016); Deputy Chief of Staff (2009-2011) and Chief Safety and Security Officer (2011-2014) of the Chicago Transit Authority; and an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney Office (2001-2009).
As a lawyer, Judge De La Cruz was considered to have very good legal ability with substantial litigation experience in both civil and criminal law matters. She is reported to be always prepared and is praised for her litigation skills. Her career has included a variety of legal areas, and she has demonstrated that she is adept at learning new law and applying that law to a variety of approaches. She is reported to have an excellent temperament – respectful while being a zealous advocate. The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Jacqueline M. Griffin -- Qualified
Jacqueline M. Griffin was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2005. Since that time, she has been an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney Office, She is currently assigned to the Sex Assault and Domestic Violence Unit of the Felony Trial Division. Since 2007, she has also been a Solo Practitioner with a focus on wills and real estate transactions.
Ms. Griffin is considered to have good legal ability and temperament. She has substantial litigation experience in more complex matters, The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Dan Balanoff -- Not Qualified
Daniel C. Balanoff was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2007. Since then, he has practiced at this own firm -- a general practice with a focus on trusts and estates and probate, residential and real estate law, and consumer bankruptcy.
Mr. Balanoff is praised for his legal ability and for always being prepared. He is reported to have a good demeanor. He has had few trials, but has had an active motion practice. The Council is concerned that he has not had substantial litigation experience in complex matters. On balance, the Council finds him Not Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Sullivan Vacancy
Hon.Thomas More Donnelly -- Well Qualified
The Hon. Thomas M. Donnelly was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1986. He was elected as an Associate Judge in 2003 and was promoted to Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2021. He is currently assigned to the Commercial Calendar Section of the Law Division. His previous judicial assignments include Traffic Court (2003), the Domestic Violence Trial Courtroom (2003), the Supplementary Proceedings and Miscellaneous Remedies Call for the First Municipal District (2003-2008), Misdemeanor Jury Call in the First Municipal District (2008-2009), and Civil Jury Trials in the First Municipal District (2009-2017). Prior to becoming a judge, he was an Assistant Public Defender (1988-2000). Judge Donnelly has served on the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee for nearly 30 years and has chaired the legal ethics committees of both the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. He currently serves on the faculty of the National Judicial College.
Judge Donnelly is considered to have very good legal ability and is exceptionally knowledgeable. His opinions are reported to be excellent and he is praised for his integrity. He is reported to have good courtroom management skills, and a good judicial temperament. The Council finds him Well Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Claudia Silva-Hernandez -- Not Recommended
Claudia Silva-Hernandez did not participate in the evaluation process. The Council finds her Not Recommended for the Circuit Court.
Meridth Vanae Hammer -- Not Recommended
Meridth Vanae Hammer did not participate in the evaluation process. The Council finds her Not Recommended for the Circuit Court.
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