Maryam Ahmad

Maryam Ahmad is the Chief of the Juvenile Justice Division of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and is the General Chair of its Judicial Evaluation Committee. Ms. Ahmad earned her B.A. in French and European War History from Chatham College, her M.A. in Shakespearean Studies and English Literary Criticism from Bucknell University, and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

Bruce A. Boyer

Bruce A. Boyer is the Director of the ChildLaw Clinic at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s 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. Mr. Boyer received his B.A. from Dartmouth and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.

Stephen M. Dore

Stephen M. Dore is an assistant public defender in the Juvenile Division of the Office of the Cook County Public Defender, where he concentrates in juvenile, civil, and mental health law. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association. Mr. Dore received his B.A. in history 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. She received the Ruth Goldman Award from the American Constitution Society in 2016 and the Seventh Circuit Bar Association Pro Bono Advocacy Award in 2014. The MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions received to the Children and Family Justice Center in 2013. Ms. Flaum 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 juvenile justice. She is a member of the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations and the Catholic Lawyers Guild. Ms. Ryan received her B.A. from Alverno College, her M.B.A. from DePaul University, and her J.D. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.

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. Walsh is the legal officer for the Juvenile Justice Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. She is an adjunct professor for Triton College and Governors State University at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She teaches a myriad of criminal justice and juvenile justice courses. She has authored articles on juvenile justice for the Washington University Journal of Law and Policy and the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal Ms. Walsh received her B.S. from Loyola University Chicago and her J.D. from Northern Illinois University College of Law.

Hon. Richard F. Walsh

No bio available.

Anita Weinberg

Anita Weinberg is the Director of the ChildLaw Clinic at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Civitas ChildLaw Center. She was a principal drafter of the permanency and best interests provisions of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. She is a member of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Advisory Council to the Director. She serves on numerous committees and councils devoted to children’s rights and has testified before congressional and state legislative committees on child welfare and health related issues. Ms. 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.