CBA Record July-August 2025

Judge Patton pictured with CBA CLE in Sicily attendees: Jerome Austriaco; Aurora Abella-Austriaco, Judge Maryam Ahmad, Alexandra Cross, Michael Kozlowski, and Adam Zebelian.

Judge Patton and Jennifer Bae.

I n 2025, the legal profession faces challenges that feel unique to the moment. Chicago’s legal community, far from being immune from these developments, sits at the intersection of the opportunities and obstacles presented by generative AI, attacks on the rule of law, and the affordability of legal services for those who need it most. The CBA’s new President, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Nichole C. Patton, understands the need for the CBA to serve its members in this environment and is ready to meet the moment. Those who know her well, and know the role well, note that Judge Patton is the right person to lead the CBA at this time. “It’s a transformational time for the judiciary and the legal profes sion,” said Past CBA President E. Lynn Grayson. “Judge Patton knows the Chicago legal community and understands the day-to day challenges of lawyers and judges and those we serve. She will be an excellent President and will serve our members with grace and integrity.” Her fellow jurists agree: “I think the world of Nichole,” said Cook County Circuit Court Judge Frederick H. Bates. “I con sider her to be my colleague and a friend. I think the CBA has a real gem coming in as President.” Judge Patton is making “AI 2035: The Legal Profession and the Judiciary in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” the theme of her bar year, recognizing the critical importance of this technol ogy for the bench and the bar. “I want us to do a deeper dive into AI and how it’s affecting all our members,” Judge Patton said. “It’s going to have an effect on shaping how we work, justice, ethics, the rule of law, and the business of law.” Judge Patton’s varied experience is one of the reasons she is well-suited to lead the CBA. “I feel like all our members can see themselves in me. I’ve been an attorney. I’ve worked in both criminal and civil. I love working with attorneys. I love my law students—our future. Now I’m on the bench, and this is my third division. And I especially enjoy being a judge.”

Each step in her journey has shaped her as a lawyer, a judge, and a community leader. All those pieces of her story have made her ready to accept the mantle of leading Chicago’s largest bar association. From Journalism to Law Judge Patton did not grow up aspiring to a future in the legal profession. As an undergraduate at Alabama State University, she had her sights set on a career in journalism. “My goal was to be a television anchorwoman,” Judge Patton said. At the time, she was a staff reporter for the Hornet Tribune , a staff member of the Hornet Yearbook, and the main news anchor for the ASU cable channel. While interning at the local newspa per, a professor encouraged her to envision something different for her future. “I started taking some criminal justice classes. One of my professors asked ‘Nichole, what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?’ I told her that I was interning at the Montgomery Advertiser Journal and that I believed that if I sought employment there, that I would be hired. She said, ‘You’re going to law school.’ I said, ‘I’m a journalism major. You have the wrong person.’ She said, ‘Can you read?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘Can you write?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘You can go to law school.’ And I followed my teacher’s advice. I took the LSAT, applied to a couple of law schools, got accepted at John Marshall [now UIC Law School], and the rest is history.” Looking back, Judge Patton appreciates that professor’s guid ing hand and tries to do the same thing for the law students she teaches as an adjunct professor at UIC Law. “That’s the impor tance of being an educator. She gave me the guidance I wasn’t even aware I needed.” Judge Patton’s legal career began at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, which proved a fertile training ground. “The State’s Attorney’s Office forced me to find myself

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