CBA Record November-December 2024

Honoring the Nation’s Finest Lawyers: The 2024 Justice John Paul Stevens Awards CBA NEWS

By Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr. E very fall, Chicago’s legal commu nity gathers to celebrate recipients of the Justice John Paul Stevens Award. This year’s recipients were Judge David H. Coar (ret.), JAMS; Daniel A. Cotter, partner, Dickinson Wright PLLC; David A. Decker (ret.), former president of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association; Nina Fain, General Counsel, JS Schirn Family Trust; John J. (Jack) Jiganti, part ner, Madden, Jiganti, Moore & Sheridan LLC; E. Lynn Grayson, partner, Nijman Franzetti LLP; and Justice Margaret Stan ton McBride, Illinois Appellate Court. A Chicago native and U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Stevens dedicated his career to ensuring the justice system is fair and accessible to everyone and was commit ted to public and community service. The Stevens Award recognizes Illinois judges and lawyers who best emulate Justice Ste vens’ integrity and his legacy of service to the bench, the bar, and most importantly, the community. CBA President John C. Sciaccotta and CBF President Sang-yul Lee co-hosted the luncheon, welcomed the honor ees and other attendees, and noted the breadth of work and services the CBF and CBA jointly provide. Attendees included Chief Judge Tim othy C. Evans, Circuit Court of Cook County; Chief Judge Michael Chmiel, Circuit Court of McHenry County; members of the CBA Board of Managers; past Stevens Award recipients; members of the state and federal judiciary and bar; as well as many family members and friends.

Pictured from left, top row: CBA President John C. Sciacotta, Daniel A. Cotter, John Jiganti, and CBF President Sang-yul Lee. Pictured from left, bottom row: Judge David H. Coar, Justice Margaret Stanton McBride, and Nina Fain. Not pictured: E. Lynn Grayson and David Decker.

Judge David H. Coar (ret). As a jurist, Coar was praised for his legal acumen, expertise handling complex cases, integrity,

Daniel A. Cotter Cotter has worn many different hats—litigator, arbi trator, CBA presi dent, and chair of a local school council.

and independence. He retired from the bench after serving as a United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois for 16 years and a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the preceding eight years. He has been an Associate Professor of Law at DePaul University College of Law and has traveled extensively to con sult on judicial and economic issues as well as to provide educational informa tion to foreign judges.

The common thread is his commitment to sharing knowledge in the legal com munity as well as the public, particu larly youth. Cotter blends his passion for sports with his community work, as dem onstrated in his service with the nonprofit Lawyers Lend-A-Hand that empowers Chicago youth to achieve academic excel lence. A partner at Dickinson Wright PLLC, Cotter concentrates on corporate law and litigation, including insurance,

8 November/December 2024