Committee List

The KCBA offers a wide range of Committees to get involved with. Click on a committee from the list below to view the meeting schedule and Committee Chairs. When you join a committee, you’ll receive updates on all happenings, including events, seminars and committee meetings. Contact your Committee Chair for more details.

 

To join a committee, please sign in to your KCBA portal, and sign up under “My Account/Your Committees” by selecting the committees you would like to join.

Access to Legal Services Committee

  • A standing committee established by Article XV sect 2(3) of the KCBA by-laws that champions and consistently seeks innovative opportunities to expand access to legal services for the underserved low income population of Kane County.
  • Activities include but are not limited to: encouraging pro bono legal services through hosting of legal education seminars for attorneys; seeking partnerships with existing community outreach programs; and creating, updating and expanding multi-media legal information resources and services.
  • This committee meets on an as-needed basis.
  • Committee Chair: Roman J. Seckel

Bar Briefs Magazine Committee

  • The Bar Briefs Magazine Committee works with the KCBA staff to publish the Association’s bi-monthly publication, Bar Briefs, with the goal that the publication is timely and self-supporting and serves as a channel for conveying information to the membership which informs, educates, and entertains.
  • This committee generally meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at Noon at the 3rd Street Courthouse.
  • Co-Editor-in-Chief: Anna A. Dopke, Co-Editor-in-Chief: Karen Zajicek

Business Issues Committee

  • This committee discusses  Business Law, Commercial Banking, Bankruptcy, and other Business Issues.
  • This committee generally meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month at Noon on Zoom.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Joshua Feagans and Jordan Dorrestein

Civil Practice Committee

  • The Civil Practice Committee consists of lawyers and judges involved in civil litigation in Kane, Kendall or DeKalb counties. The purpose is to promote excellence in civil advocacy, to provide members a forum for discussion of civil practice issues and concerns, to maintain an open relationship with the judiciary to ensure the fair and efficient administration of justice and to promote civility among members.
  • This committee generally meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at Noon at 3rd Street Courthouse, CR 430.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Thomas Connelly and  Chris Warmbold

Criminal Law & Practice Committee

  • The Criminal Law & Practice Committee serves to enhance each committee member’s knowledge of the criminal law, as well as enhance each committee member’s court practice skills, while informing the members of judicial and legislative developments, being proactive as to the needs of the future, while being reactive to the concerns of the present, to work toward enhancing the administration of justice.
  • This committee generally meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 11:45 at the KCJC.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Liam Dixon and Joseph Gay

Disability & Mental Health Law Committee

  • The purpose of the Committee is to provide attorneys with topic-specific legal education as amplified by multi-disciplinary input from health care professionals, social workers and others who can provide critical information necessary to achieve excellence in legal advocacy.
  • This committee generally meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (Bi-Monthly) at Noon on Zoom.
  • Committee Chair: Sandra Blake

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Justice Committee

  • The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Justice Committee consists of lawyers and judges interested in addressing and discussing the promotion of diversity and inclusion within the bar, on the bench, and in the communities within which we live and work.
  • This committee generally meets on the 4th Thursday of the month (bi-monthly) at Noon on Zoom.
  • Committee Chair: David Buetow and Catherine Sheehan

Estate, Probate & Trust Committee

  • The Estate, Probate & Trust Committee provides a forum for lawyers to have an open, candid and educational discussion and sharing of ideas, practice issues and the law, and to conduct CLE seminars for the members of the KCBA.
  • This committee generally meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the 3rd Street Courthouse.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Misti Floyd and Karla Hunter

Family Law Committee

  • The Family Law committee is created for the purpose of establishing and improving relations between the bench and bar, creating a courteous, civil and collegial working relationship among family law practitioners, providing educational and social opportunities for bench and bar, and taking a proactive approach to family law related procedures, rules and statutes at the local and state levels.
  • This committee generally meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at Noon at the KCJC Jury Lounge.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Rachel Hernandez, Phil Lengle and Katie Doyen

Judicial Evaluation Committee

  • This committee was formed to review and recommend candidates based on criteria for position. Recommendation are published on our website.
  • This committee meets on an as-needed basis.
  • Committee Chair: Julie L. Cibulskis

Legal Ethics Committee

  • The Legal Ethics Committee seeks to promote high standards of professional conduct and ethical behavior and to increase familiarity with the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct. The Committee reviews and discusses proposed amendments to the Illinois Rules and reviews and discusses Illinois Supreme Court decisions on ethics proceedings to provide education, support, and feedback to the legal community.
  • This committee meets on an as-needed basis to develop mini-seminars which will be presented during other committee seminars.
  • Committee Chair: Amanda J. Hamilton

Local Government Law Committee

  • The Local Government Law Committee provides a forum for discussion of issues of mutual interest to Local Government Attorneys and others, to provide educational updates for the members and to provide a forum for free dialogue between attorneys involved in the local government process.
  • This committee generally meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month at noon on Zoom.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Erin Brady and Deb Lang

Long Range Planning Committee

  • This committee offer our members to join in the long range planning of the the KCBA.
  • This committee meets on an as-needed basis.
  • Committee Chair: Robert Kuehl

New Lawyers' Committee

  • The New Lawyers’ Committee provides a forum for open discussion and free exchange of ideas between new lawyers through shared resources and experiences and establishes a mentor-mentee program.
  • This committee generally meets on the last Thursday of the month at 5:15 pm, location varies.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Marissa Hanson and Otto Hurtado

Past Presidents Committee

  • This committee holds an annual social event in May.
  • This committee meets on an as-needed basis.
  • Committee Chair:  Lisa M. Nyuli

President's Select Committee

  • This committee works closely with the President to establish seminars to boost the CLE offerings to our membership. Membership is selected by the President and must be either a) a current or former Board Member or b) an active committee chair.
  • Committee Chair:  Joshua Feagans

Public Relations Committee

  • This committee meets on an as-needed basis.
  • Committee Chair: Mark Schuster

Real Estate-Commercial and Residential Committee

  • The Real Estate – Commercial and Residential Committee provides a forum for discussion of matters relating to the practice of commercial and residential real estate law, including office, industrial, and retail transactional law, commercial and residential sale and leasing practice, and current case law developments. The committee prepares periodic topical seminars covering the practice of commercial real estate law.
  • This committee generally meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 8:00 am on Zoom.
  • Committee Chair: Sean Fergus

Tax Committee

  • The Tax Law Committee will address all areas of federal, state and local taxation. This committee will also work with young lawyers to mentor them in all areas of taxation so that they can better understand this area of law.
  • This committee generally meets on the 2nd Friday of the month at noon on Zoom.
  • Committee Chair: Mohammad Iqbal

Wellness Committee

  • The Wellness Committee recognizes that as lawyers, you may need extra support for what can sometimes be a challenging position. The Wellness committee seeks to prioritize overall wellness, burn out, and prevention methods.
  • This committee meets on an as-needed basis to develop mini-seminars which will be presented during other committee seminars.
  • Committee Chair: Robert Kuehl

Women in the Law Committee

  • The mission of this committee is to address those issues unique to the working woman lawyer. These issues include, but are not limited to, gender bias in the practice of law, scheduling issues for the working mother, and gender issues in employment and judicial appointment.
  • This committee generally meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 12:15 pm on Zoom.
  • Committee Co-Chairs: Lindsay Saylors and Kate Cozzani