Jonathan B. Amarilio is a Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, in Chicago, where he chairs the firm’s appellate practice group. Amarilio is Past President of the Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association, Treasurer for the Chicago Bar Association, and is a former board member of the Chicago Bar Foundation and the Illinois Bar Foundation, among other charitable and civic organizations. He earned his B.A. cum laude from American University and his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.
Karl R. Barnickol is a Partner at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, in Chicago, where he concentrates in litigation with a focus on complex antitrust, securities, consumer fraud, and healthcare class and mass actions. Barnickol received his A.B. cum laude from Georgetown University and his J.D., Order of the Coif, from Washington University St. Louis School of Law, where he was an associate editor of the Washington University Law Quarterly.
Nicole C. Berg is a Partner at Keller Postman LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on products liability and mass torts. Berg has been named to the Best Lawyers list by Best Lawyers in America, was selected to the Illinois Super Lawyers list (2023 – 2025), and is a member of the American Association for Justice. She earned her B.S. from the University of California at Santa Barbera, her M.S. from the University of Chicago, and her J.D. summa cum laude from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Frank H. Bieszczat is Deputy Division Chief at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General in Chicago. He earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Patrick E. Dwyer III is an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, in Chicago, where he focuses on municipal and general litigation and advice.Dwyer is a member of the Appellate Lawyer’s Association, the St. Ignatius Law Society, and the Chicago Bar Association. He earned his B.A. from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. He has been adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago.
Alexandra M. Frisch is an associate at Donohue Brown Smyth LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on appeals. Frisch is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.
Jed W. Glickstein is a Partner at Kaplan & Grady LLC, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on commercial, appellate, and civil rights matters. Glickstein previously clerked for the Hon. Joel Flaum on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Hon. Gary Feinerman on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He earned his B.A. magna cum laude from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was a member of the Yale Law Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic.
Patricia L. Hall is a Partner at WillamsMcCarthy LLP, in Rockford, where she focuses her practice on civil and commercial litigation, appeals, and collaborative divorce. Hall is a member of the Winnebago County, Illinois State, and Federal Bar Associations. She earned her B.A. magna cum laude from Arizona State University and her J.D. cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law.
William P. Hardy is an attorney at law, in Springfield, where he focuses his practice on appellate matters. Hardy was the President of the Appellate Lawyers Association from 2011 – 2012, was named in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for appellate practice, and served as an Administrative Law Judge from 1994 – 2002. He earned his J.D. cum laude from Southern Illinois University School of Law, where he served as Lead Articles Editor at the Southern Illinois University Law Journal, served as President of the Moot Court Board, and worked as a teaching assistant.
Scott L. Howie is a Partner at Donohue Brown Smyth LLC, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on appeals. Howie is a member of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and is the Past President of the Appellate Lawyers Association. He earned his B.A. from Northwestern University and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Tracy L. Jones is Owner/Partner of Black & Jones, Attorneys at Law, in Rockford, where she focuses her practice on workers’ compensation, social security disability, and veterans’ compensation. Jones is a member of the Board of Directors for the Workers’ Compensation Lawyer’s Association, a member of the National Organization for Veterans Advocates, and a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. She earned her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago John Marshall Law School.
Brett E. Legner is Counsel in the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice at Mayer Brown LLP in Chicago. Legner has presented over 100 oral arguments to Supreme Court and appellate courts at the federal and state level, including to the United States and Illinois Supreme Court, federal circuit courts, and every Illinois appellate district. Legner is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He earned his B.A. with honors from Northwestern University and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coil.
Elaine Liu is a Partner at Mayer Brown LLP, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on litigation and regulatory enforcement. Liu is a member of the Board of Directors for the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago and the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in the Law and is a member of the Ambassadors Board for Legal Aid Chicago. She earned her B.A. cum laude from Harvard University and her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
Andrew G. May is a Partner at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation and insurance coverage. May has been featured in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under Forty to Watch. He earned his B.S. from Colgate University and his J.D. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
Mairead J. Mumford is an associate at Mayer Brown LLP, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on litigation and dispute resolution. Mumford is a member of Mayer Brown’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice and maintains an active pro bono practice. She earned her B.A. and her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame.
Steven F. Pflaum is a Partner at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on complex litigation and appeals, including constitutional and hospital property tax exemption controversies. Pflaum is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, where he was given the Justice John Paul Stevens Award and CBA/CBF Edward J. Lewiss II Pro Bono Award; was President of the Appellate Lawyers Association; and was recommended in Litigation — General Commercial by Chamber’s USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and was editor at the Michigan Law Review.
Geoffrey M. Pipoly is a Senior Associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on appeals. He earned his MPA and his B.A., cum laude, from the University of Dayton and his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was Order of the Coif, Student Managing Editor of the Constitutional Commentary, and a member of the Minnesota Law Review.
Kass A. Plain is the Director of the Appeals Unit of the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on appeals. Plain is a member of the Appellate Lawyers Association, Chicago Bar Association, and the National Association of Counsel for Children. She earned her B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her J.D. from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where she wrote for the Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business.
Michael A. Scodro is a Partner in the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice at Mayer Brown LLP in Chicago. Scodro is a member of the American Law Institute, a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the Past President of the Illinois Appellate Lawyers Association. Scodro previously clerked for the Hon. Sandra Day O’Connor for the U.S. Supreme Court and for the Hon. José A. Cabrenes for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He earned his B.A. summa cum laude from Dartmouth College, and his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was Executive Editor for the Yale Law Journal.
Gretchen Harris Sperry is a Partner and a Cochair of the appellate practice group at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP in Chicago. Sperry is Past President of the Appellate Lawyers Association, is a member of Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Alumni Board of Governors, and is Past Chair of the American Bar Association Council of Appellate Lawyers. She was named to the Best Lawyers in America list for Appellate Practice in 2025 and to the Super Lawyers list from 2020 – 2024. She earned her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she was Publication Editor for the Annals of Health Law.
Alexa J. Thein is an associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on business and commercial disputes. Thein is a member of the Public Interest Law Initiative’s Young Professionals Board. She earned two B.A.s from the University of Missouri and her J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.
Nadine Jean Wichern has been a judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County since April 2024. Before that, she was an appellate litigator for 23 years. Between 2015 and 2024, she served as Chief of the Civil Appeals Division in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, overseeing 24 attorneys who handle civil appeals on behalf of the State of Illinois. She also was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Appeals Division of the City of Chicago Department of Law. After graduating from DePaul University College of Law in 2000, she served as a clerk to the Hon. William J. Bauer on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She was later chosen by the National Association of Attorneys General to serve as a United States Supreme Court Fellow in Washington, D.C. She taught legal writing courses at local law schools for 11 years, has presented at many continuing legal education programs, is a contributor to legal treatises, and is a committed mentor and volunteer.
An IICLE® Online Library subscription is required to view this content. For more information or to subscribe, click here.
Free monthly e-updates in 15 practice areas
Choose whether or not to include highlighting and notes in the print view. Depending on your browser, you may have to change print options to include background colors.