Maryam Ahmad

Maryam Ahmad is the Chief of the Juvenile Justice Bureau of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago. Ms. Ahmad is the President of the Chicago Bar Association and was the recipient of its 2018 Vanguard Award. She also was the 2016 recipient of the Cook County Bar Association’s Judicial Award. Ms. Ahmad received her B.A. from Chatham College, her M.A. from Bucknell University, and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, with a certification in intellectual property law.

Bruce A. Boyer

Bruce A. Boyer is a Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice and Director of Civitas ChildLaw Center. He is a former member of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, a former Chair of the ABA Steering Committee on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children, and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Boyer received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Stephen M. Dore

Stephen M. Dore is regional counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in Chicago. He is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association. Dore received his B.A. from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School.

Thomas Esler

Thomas Esler is a solo practitioner in Skokie, with a primary focus on juvenile law. Mr. Esler received his B.A. from DePaul University and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Alison R. Flaum

Alison R. Flaum is the Legal Director of the Children and Family Justice Center, which is part of the Bluhm Legal Clinic at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, and she is also a clinical professor of law. She received her A.B. from Brown University, her J.D. from Yale Law School, and her LL.M. in clinical advocacy from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Kimberly M. Foxx

Maxwell Griffin, Jr.

Maxwell Griffin, Jr., is an Associate Judge in the Child Protection Division of the Juvenile Court of Cook County in Chicago. He is a member of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Illinois Judicial Association, and the Illinois Judicial Council. He is an adjunct faculty member at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Judge Griffin received both his B.A. and his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

Lisa S. Jacobs

Lisa S. Jacobs is Program Manager for the Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice at Loyola University Chicago. Prior to joining Loyola, she served as an Assistant Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts where she oversaw Judicial Education policy and programs. She is a gubernatorial appointee to the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, where she serves as Vice Chair. Ms. Jacobs received her B.A. from the University of South Dakota and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

Frank J. Kopecky

Frank J. Kopecky is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Illinois Springfield. He focuses on family law. He is a member of the Board of Directors and a Past President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative and of Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. Mr. Kopecky received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Mary Katharine Ludwig

No bio available.

Michele M. McGee

Michele M. McGee is an attorney with the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian’s Juvenile Division. She currently works on impact litigation and provides assistance to attorneys on complex legal issues. Previously, she supervised teams of attorneys assigned to the Juvenile Division. Ms. McGee is a 1994 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law and a 1991 graduate of Mundelein College, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Timothy F. Moran

No bio available.

Catherine M. Ryan

Catherine M. Ryan is the Executive Director of Maryville Academy in Des Plaines. She focuses on child protection and juvenile delinquency and nonprofit human service organizations. Ms. Ryan is a member of the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations and the Catholic Lawyers Guild. She received her B.A. from Alverno College, her M.S.W. from DePaul University, and her J.D. from Northwestern University.

Lawrence Schlam

No bio available.

Susan M. Storcel

Susan M. Storcel is the Director of the Circuit Court of Cook County Child Protection Mediation and Facilitation Program in Chicago. She focuses on juvenile law and alternate dispute resolution. She is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations. Ms. Storcel received her B.A. from North Central College, her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, and her mediation training from the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago.

Diane N. Walsh

Diane N. Walshis the Chief Legal Officer for the Juvenile Justice Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago. She is a member of the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. Ms. Walsh received her B.S. from Loyola University Chicago and her J.D. from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.

Hon. Richard F. Walsh

No bio available.

Anita Weinberg

Anita Weinberg is a Curt and Linda Rodin Clinical Professor of Law and Social Justice, Co-director of the Civitas ChildLaw Center, and Director of the Legislation and Policy Clinic and the ChildLaw Policy Institute at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Weinberg was a principal drafter of the permanency and best-interests provisions of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. She is also a member of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Advisory Council to the Director. She is the 2014 recipient of the St. Ignatius Loyola Award for Excellence on Teaching with a commitment to raising global awareness, promoting social justice, and educating the whole student. Weinberg received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, her M.S.S.W. from Columbia University, and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.