University of Illinois College of Law 1987 Class notes

Karen Layng, '87

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:53:04 GMT

Karen Layng (JD '87) has been elected as president and board chair of the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, the largest Girl Scout Council in the nation. Layng is a shareholder at Vedder Price in Chicago.

Full Story

Laurence B. Dobkin, '87

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 06:35:57 GMT

Laurence B. "Larry" Dobkin, JD '87, passed away on September 2, 2012. Larry was an equity partner at Greenberg Traurig. He leaves behind his wife Nanci, and children Alex, Sydnie, and Carlie. In the words of his classmate Jeff Meyer, JD '87: "To say that the world was a better place because of Larry would be an understatement. He was a thoughtful and loving husband, son and brother, a devoted father to three incredible kids, a tremendous friend, a highly respected and successful attorney, a leader in his synagogue and a passionate advocate for a number of charitable organizations. His character was flawless and his generosity was limitless. Larry took great pride in receiving both his Bachelor's degree and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois. He carried that pride with him for the next 25 years, taking on the role of lead recruiter for the U of I College of Law on behalf of the two law firms where he had worked and became an equity partner, first at Altheimer & Gray and then at Greenberg Traurig. In fact, during the fall of 2011, when Larry was in the midst of his fight for his life and was too weak to do many things, including driving a car, he nonetheless hired a driver, who drove him to and from Champaign so that he could conduct that year's interviews himself. As a result of Larry's efforts, and the trust and respect he earned from everyone who worked with him, a significant number of U of I College of Law graduates got their first law job at these firms. Larry was also a passionate U of I basketball and football fan and even attended the 2005 NCAA championship game between Illinois and North Carolina."

Full Story

Patrick S. Layng, '87

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:00:03 GMT

Patrick S. Layng, JD' 87, was awarded the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service for his exceptional efforts to develop, implement, and coordinate a nationwide initiative to address misconduct and abusive practices by mortgage services and other creditors in U.S. bankruptcy system. Layng is the United States Trustee for the Northern District of Illinois and Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin (Region 11).

Full Story

Debra Walker, '87

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 06:26:19 GMT

The Honorable Debra Walker, JD '87, has been named by the Supreme Court of Illinois as the chair of its Commission on Professionalism. Walker is a Cook County (Illinois) Circuit Court Judge in the Domestic Relations Division.

Full Story

John Dalton, '87

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 05:32:01 GMT

John G. Dalton, JD '87, was elected Circuit Court Judge (16th Circuit) on November 6th and took the bench on December 3rd.

Debra Walker, '87

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 03:20:39 GMT

The Honorable Debra B. Walker, JD '87, a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, will be inducted as president of the Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), at the organization’s 14th Annual Gala on Friday, October 19, at the Four Seasons Hotel. Judge Walker will be the second woman president in the organization’s sixty-one year history.

Debra Walker, '87

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:44:28 GMT

The Honorable Debra Walker, JD '87, was the recipient of the Mary Heftel Hooton Award given by the Women's Bar Association of Illinois at a ceremony in Chicago on March 1st.

Beth Crawford, '87

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:40:50 GMT

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has appointed Beth A. Crawford as Associate Justice of the Hampshire Probate and Family Court in Northampton, Massachusetts.

David Philipps, '87

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:20:07 GMT

David J. Philipps, '87, of Philipps & Philipps, Ltd., Palos Hills, Illiniois, was named the NACA Private Attorney of the Year by the National Association of Consumer Advocates at NACA's 2011 Annual Meeting, Media and Trial Advocay Awards, held November 4, 2011 in Chicago. David is the Illinois State Chair for NACA, and served as the head of the Chicago Host Committee for the National Consumer Law Center's 20th Annual Consumer Rights Litigation Conference, held November 3-6, 2011 in Chicago.