CBA Record May-June 2025

Maggie Mendenhall Casey As a Deputy within the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel’s Office, Maggie Mendenhall Casey serves as in-house counsel and leads the City of Chicago’s tort defense, medical malpractice, and insurance coverage portfolio, manag ing 45 employees and a pool of outside counsel. Her prior positions include serving as General Counsel for the Com munity Commission, a City of Chicago police accountability agency. Mendenhall Casey began her career as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, advocating for victims of crime. She was recognized by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as a 40 Under 40 Attorney and also received the Next Generation Award from the Cook County Bar Association. She is a member of the CBA’s Board of Managers and previously served as Parliamentarian for the Black Women Lawyers’ Associa tion. Additionally, she is a co-host of the CBA’s national award-winning podcast, @TheBar. Judge John A. Fairman Judge John A. Fairman, a Circuit Court Judge at the Fifth District Municipal Courthouse in Cook County, handles domestic violence and emergency mental health examination and detention hear ings and hears civil, criminal, and traffic matters on a rotating basis in the Brid geview courthouse. He served in multiple divisions as a former Cook County Assis tant State’s Attorney. His public service background includes time in Washington,

D.C., where he worked with the Judiciary Committee and helped write legislation to change federal accounting laws in the wake of the Enron scandal in 2002. Judge Fairman has served on the Hearing Board, Oversight Committee, and Review Board for the Illinois Supreme Court; as chair of the board for South Suburban Council Treatment and Addiction Center; and as President of the National Black Prosecu tors Association-Chicago Chapter. He has been a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and a general board member for the Illinois Judicial Council and the Southwest Bar Association. In addition, he received the James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award, a Distin guished Service Award from the Illinois Judicial Council, and the League of Leg ends Champion Award for “Improving the Judiciary” category from the Link & Option Center, Inc. Judge Judith C. Rice As Presiding Judge of the Domestic Vio lence (DV) Division, Judge Judith C. Rice leads judges and staff in implement ing the expansion of access and services within the Division. This includes orga nizing training on the SAFeR framework for all DV Division judges and ongoing support to judges and court personnel. Judge Rice launched the After Hours Emergency Order of Protection Pilot, where domestic violence survivors can now receive orders of protection outside regular court business hours. She began her legal career as a prosecutor with the

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she handled appellate cases, narcot ics prosecutions, and abuse and neglect cases in Juvenile Court. She is on the advisory boards of the Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network and the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center. She is also a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Equality and the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Domestic Violence, and she is the treasurer of the Alliance of Illinois Judges. Ami N. Wynne Ami Wynne is a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in the firm’s Labor & Employment practice group. As a litiga tor, she represents employers and boards in complex employment litigation and advises on strategic human resources issues. She leads internal investigations of high-reputational-risk claims involving sexual harassment, discrimination, and conflicts of interest that can potentially create significant risk to an organization’s image. Her work also focuses on work place culture, the impacts of racial and social justice movements, and strategies for building respectful and inclusive work places. Wynne serves as the Managing Partner of the firm’s Chicago office and co-leads its Culture & DEI practice. She also sits on the boards of Legal Aid Chi cago and Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth. View highlights from the luncheon on the CBA’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube. com/chicagobar.

In Memoriam The Chicago Bar Association mourns the passing of the Hon. Richard (Bill) W. Austin (Ret.), an Army veteran, leading commercial and antitrust litigator, and Cook County Circuit Court Judge to the Sixth Subcircuit. Austin was a career-long member of the Chicago Bar Association and served as CBA President from 1979-1980. During his presidency he focused on increasing the public’s access to legal services and improving service to our members and the legal profession. The CBA is forever grateful for Austin’s contributions to our Association and the legal profession.

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