By: Timothy M. Black
This time last year, I was sitting in the lobby of the Swan Hotel at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, eating a Mickey Mouse-shaped cookie, reflecting on the year that was and dreaming about the possibilities that 2016 might bring. While 2016 certainly had it’s very low moments (from the passing of David Bowie in January to the passing of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds this week), we had another great year here at LauraLaw.
This year, we saw some comings, and we saw some goings:
We welcomed Laura’s husband, Dean, to the office in March. Dean brings with him decades of experience in Criminal Law, Juvenile Law, and Appellate Law, to name a few, in addition to a sharp suit every day. Dean has been Of Counsel at LauraLaw since it opened, but his move from the Monadnock Building to Park Ridge marked one of the biggest moments of the year.
Keeping with the trend, we welcomed Laura and Dean’s son, Jake, as an intern while he was home from the University of Kansas for the summer. Jake brought with him a serious knack for the written language, writing some of our most read blog posts, and we keep a desk open so that he can come back any time he’s home from school.
We also welcomed Suzanne Krause to the team this fall. Bringing with her a decade of experience as an Assistant State’s Attorney, Suzanne is a source of not only depths of knowledge, but scores of old war stories. We are so grateful to have her on our team.
While we are so happy to have added Dean, Jake, and Suzanne, we had to say goodbye to some old friends, too.
In June, we said farewell to Jayne. While we have desperately missed her every day since her departure, she is happy in her new post as an Associate Attorney at an asbestos litigation firm. Jayne may have taken a new job, but she will always be a part of the LauraLaw family, and family is always welcome at office parties!
Then, in October, we said our good byes to Dean’s Law Clerk, Eva. Eva took a job at the City of Chicago, where you can catch her in one of the City’s courtrooms any day of the week. We miss Eva, the smell of her home cooking, and her sharp wit, but we know this city is in a better place with her in its employ.
In November, Maddy neither came nor went; Maddy stayed – and we celebrated! That’s right, as proof that time flies when you’re having fun, we celebrated Maddy’s THIRD YEAR as our Office Manager. We sincerely could not do this without her, and we hope that celebration was just the beginning of many anniversary celebrations.
People were not the only thing coming and going: in March, we reported on the removal of lockers from the courthouse at 26th & Cal.; then, in April, we reported on the return of lockers to the courthouse at 26th & Cal.
In January, we picked our cast for Dick Wolf‘s newest installment in #OneChicago, Chicago Justice (tentatively named Chicago Law at the time), but apparently none of our choices were taken into consideration. So instead, we shot our own video. We brought you behind the scenes of its filming, and in true LauraLaw style, we had a red carpet office premier for the roll-out of that video. The video contains no profanity, but more and more, legal opinions do.
Finally, and most importantly (in my humble opinion), the Cubs had a pretty great year. Jake Arrieta threw a no-hitter, a fan ran onto the field, Tim tweeted a link to an article we wrote about why that’s illegal, and ESPN Radio personality David Kaplan re-tweeted it. Oh, also the Cubs won the World Series — no biggie, right?
Finally, in 2016, more people read our blog, downloaded our app from the iTunes Store and Google Play Store, and found us on Yelp!, which allowed us to do what we came here to do – represent defendants, law enforcement officers, and professionals in criminal court, disciplinary boards, and administrative hearings. We love what we do, we love the people with whom we do it, and we love the people we have the privilege to represent – that love manifests in truly just outcomes for our clients. So thank you for choosing us to represent you in 2016, and we hope that you will tell your friends about us.
In the meantime, stay tuned to this blog, and just like last year, we will update you on all of the new laws that will take affect in 2017.
Over the weekend and into the New Year, remember to drink responsibly and refrain from getting behind the wheel if you’re drunk. But if you should find yourself under arrest or investigation, do not hesitate to contact this office, and one of our skilled attorneys will be happy to assist you with your legal issue. Until then, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
