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Board Members
The Supreme Court of Illinois appoints the 10 members of the MCLE Board. The members are volunteers and include attorneys of varied backgrounds from around the state; one non-attorney with experience in designing professional development opportunities for educators, and a Circuit Court judge. Jack L. Brooks is a graduate of United Township High School in East Moline, Illinois, 1968; Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, 1972, B.A., Cum Laude; and Drake Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, 1974, with honors. He was a member of the Drake Law Review, and was also awarded the Order of the Coif for high attainments in the study of law. He is currently a 14th Judicial Circuit Arbitrator and Mediator. Jack has practiced law in Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa since 1975. Jack's primary interest has been civil litigation, including personal injury, medical malpractice defense, insurance defense, and banking, construction and commercial litigation. Jack has engaged in alternative dispute resolution both as the attorney for one of the parties as well as in the role of arbitrator or mediator. He is one of the founding partners of Brooks & Trinrud, a professional corporation. Jack has served part-time as Assistant State's Attorney in Carroll County, Illinois from 1980 to 1982; Adjutant Professor and Director of the Legal Assistant Program at Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa from 1983 to 1984; and Instructor of Business Law at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois and Black Hawk College, Moline, Illinois, at different periods between 1982 and 1987. Jack has also given presentations on various topics, including alternative dispute resolution, trial preparation, medical malpractice and risk management. Hon. Michael J. Chmiel, Treasurer Michael J. Chmiel is a Circuit Judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit in McHenry County, sitting in Woodstock. He serves as the Presiding Judge of the Family Law Division. He has organized, moderated, and presented at various continuing legal education programs since 1991. From 1992 to 2004, he was an associate or partner in three general practice law firms in northern Illinois. He also served as a law clerk to the late Richard N. DeGunther, United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Northern District of Illinois, Western Division. He received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, and his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of various legal and non-legal organizations. Judge Chmiel serves as Treasurer of the MCLE Board. Diana L. Embil is an Associate Regional Counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5. She received academic awards and her J.D. degree in 1985 from the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison. Ms. Embil has background in insurance with Allstate, Fireman's Fund, St. Paul Insurance and Columbia Casulty. She was also an associate with Jones, Ware & Grenard, and clerked for former Justice R. Eugene Pincham at the Illinois Appellate Court and Justice Charles E. Freeman at the Illinois Supreme Court. Patrick M. Kinnally, Vice Chair Patrick M. Kinnally is an attorney with the Aurora firm of Kinnally, Krentz, Loran, Hodge & Herman P.C., with an emphasis in commercial and tort litigation; and immigration, administrative, environmental and local government law. He has served as an adjunct professor of law at Northern Illinois University, teaching courses in civil procedure, immigration and nationality law, and a trials skills course. He received his law degree from John Marshall Law School in 1980. Patrick serves as Vice-Chair of the MCLE Board. Gordon B. Nash, Jr. focuses his practice on trial and appellate work. As an active trial lawyer, he has extensive experience in federal and state courts. He started his legal career as a Captain in the United States Army assigned to the Staff Judge Advocate of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. After the Army Gordon served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, where he became the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division. In 1978 he joined Gardner Carton & Douglas LLP as a partner and concentrated his practice in the areas of white collar criminal defense, securities, antitrust and commercial litigation. Gordon is also often called upon to conduct internal investigations for corporate clients. At Gardner Carton, he served as the Litigation Department Chair and a member of the Management Committee. Gordon serves as an arbitrator and mediator. As an arbitrator he has heard cases administered by the American Arbitration Association and JAMS Endispute. He has also taught trial advocacy at John Marshall Law School and lectured and written for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Gordon has served as President of the Chicago Bar Association, President of the Chicago Inn of Court, Chair of the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Vice Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professionalism, Vice Chair of the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Groups of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and on many other civic and charitable boards and committees. Gordon has received many awards and acknowledgements, including admission to the American College of Trial Lawyers, recognition by the alumni association of Loyola University School of Law for his extraordinary service to the profession of law, and the John Marshall Award presented to him by the U.S. Attorney General for outstanding legal achievement. Gordon was selected as one of the Leading Lawyers in Illinois in Commercial Litigation and named one of the Best Lawyers in America® for his Litigation practice. John G. O'Brien, who has law offices under his name in Arlington Heights, concentrates in real estate and estate planning. John is the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association; a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors, and currently the Second Vice President of the ISBA. He received his law degree from Loyola University in 1972. James A. Rapp is a member of the Quincy law firm, Hutmacher & Rapp, P.C. As an attorney, he engages in a general practice with an emphasis in estates and trusts, real estate, business, banking, and education law. He is the author of the seven-volume treatise Education Law published by Lexis/Nexis. He has also authored a number of other publications and articles on varied topics including victims' litigation, tax law, legal rights of students with diabetes, and medical malpractice, among others. He is a consultant to various agencies and individuals regarding education issues. He serves as an arbitrator and hearing officer in commercial and education matters. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois (B.S., 1971). He received his law degree in 1974 from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. George R. Ripplinger is the managing member of Ripplinger & Zimmer, LLC, in Belleville, practicing in Illinois and Missouri. He was a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Special Committee on MCLE from 1984 to 1988. That committee promulgated one of the first proposals for continuing legal education, some of whose provisions were adopted by the Supreme Court in the new rules covering MCLE. A portion of his legal practice includes representing clients against their lawyers in legal malpractice cases. He received his law degree from the University of Illinois in 1970. Philip J. Rock, former president and majority leader of the Illinois Senate, is senior partner and president of the firm, Rock, Fusco and Associates, LLC., in Chicago. He was elected to the Senate in 1970 and served as majority leader and President from 1979 to 1993. He received his law degree in 1964 from Loyola University School of Law. Faye E. Terrell-Perkins is senior executive director of CLASS Leadership Development which provides professional development opportunities for educators and executives. Mrs. Terrell-Perkins was formerly Executive Director of the Leadership Academy and Urban Network for Chicago (LAUNCH), the program that prepares aspiring principals for Chicago Public Schools. She is a Certified Professional Developer and a National Staff Development Council Academy XIV Graduate. She has been a Principal-in-Residence for the Comer School Development Program at Yale University, a central office administrator and an elementary school principal. She holds a Masters of Arts in Education and was a doctoral candidate in curriculum and instruction at the University of Illinois. She is the only non-attorney appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board. Mrs. Terrell-Perkins was appointed to a three-year term. |
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