Lawyer Who Proposes Burr Ridge Court Gets Judge Job

BURR RIDGE, IL — A long time ago, a retired judge from Burr Ridge proposed the village create a local court to handle lesser violations, village officials say. She got the job last week as its $225-an-hour hearing officer.

Attorney Denise Filan, who performs this role in other towns, is set to start the part-time job in Burr Ridge in January.

According to village documents, officials considered four "highly regarded" attorneys, including Filan, for the job.

Deputy Police Chief Marc Loftus emailed lawyers who are hearing officers in other towns and asked them about their fees and availability.

Filan's fee was in the ballpark of the others. The candidate with the highest fee was Aaron Reinke of Elgin, who said he generally charges $350 for the first hour and $250 for each hour afterward. He is the hearing officer for Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, Darien, Westmont and Lisle.

"I'm passionate about the value of administrative adjudication to the community!" Reinke said in an email to Loftus.

Filan is the hearing officer for Alsip, Evergreen Park and Worth and the prosecutor for Chicago Ridge, Lyons and Lemont.

The other candidates were ShawnTe Raines and Lenny Cannata. Raines, who works for a Chicago law firm, charges the lowest of the candidates — $200 an hour — but she also bills a flat rate for 30 minutes of travel. She is the hearing officer for Berkeley.

Cannata, who is the hearing officer for Willowbrook and prosecutor for North Riverside, charges $220 an hour, but said he could work with the village on this cost because of the economic strains of the pandemic.

Last week, the Burr Ridge Village Board voted unanimously for the court, called the "village adjudication program." The court, officials said, will have a lower burden of proof — a "preponderance of evidence," rather than "beyond a reasonable doubt." This means police officers do not need to be present at hearings, they said.

Such a savings on officers' time is especially beneficial given that the field court in Downers Grove is moving to Wheaton, which is farther, officials said.

At the meeting, Deputy Chief Loftus said Filan brought the idea of a local court to the village a long time ago.

"Chief (John) Madden will tell you that she really put the bug in our ear that this is something we should be doing as a municipality," Loftus said.

A review of state Board of Elections records show that Filan and the law firm where she works, Evergreen Park-based Odelson & Sterk, have given no campaign donations to Burr Ridge's elected officials.

Filan was a Cook County Circuit Court judge for two decades. She could not be reached for immediate comment.