By Charlie Ingrassia
Associate, Adler Murphy & McQuillen LLP

On June 24, 2016, the Association held its annual Installation luncheon. The occasion celebrated the end to a terrific bar year and welcomed a new slate of Officers and Directors.

Outgoing Association President Michael A. Scodro began the festivities by welcoming ALA members and guests, which included judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Illinois Supreme Court, the Illinois Appellate Court, and the Circuit Court of Cook County. President Scodro proceeded to recap the many successful Association events from the past  year which, in addition to the traditional favorites such as the annual roundtable luncheons and the Illinois Supreme Court Year in Review, featured speakers from across the country. Notable speakers included New York Times reporter Adam Liptak and Professor David Strauss of the University of Chicago Law School, both of whom discussed noteworthy United States Supreme Court cases.  

President Scodro also thanked outgoing Directors Matthew D. Elster, John M. Fitzgerald, and E. King Poor, and presided over the election of Officers for the upcoming bar, which include Evan Siegel as Vice President, Clare J. Quish as Secretary, and Gretchen Harris Sperry as Treasurer.

Justice Mason and Joanne R. Driscoll

Thereafter, President Scodro introduced Justice Mary Anne Mason of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, to administer the oath of office to Joanne R. Driscoll. In doing so, Justice Mason recounted President Driscoll's storied career, which includes serving as a law clerk on two separate occasions--including as a law clerk to the first woman justice on the Illinois Appellate Court; her tenure as the Executive Director of the Lawyers Assistance Program; her many accomplishments in the private sector as an attorney with Forde Law Offices LLP; and her significant commitment to charitable organizations (such as serving as the president of the Woman's Bar Foundation).

After being Installed as the Association's 49th President, President Driscoll thanked her many family members and friends in attendance, which included the "three men in her life," i.e, her sons Jonathan, Michael, and Jimmy. She also thanked her colleagues at Forde Law Offices, many of whom were also in attendance.

President Driscoll then laid out a clear vision for the upcoming bar year. She discussed initiatives to improve the Association's policies to make it more practical, efficient, and better able to serve its members; and toward that end, President Driscoll is in the process of forming a committee to review and update the Association's bylaws. President Driscoll noted that, while the Association will continue to provide its traditional programming, it will also present "out of the box" events, such as a seminar featuring a panel comprised of the clerks from each of Illinois' five appellate districts. Finally, President Driscoll advised that the Association will seek to co-sponsor more events with other bar associations, which will promote the Association's dedication to excellence in appellate law and may also provide ALA members with opportunities to attend additional functions.

The Association thanks President Scodro and the outgoing Directors for their tireless work, and looks forward to another successful bar year.