New Associate Judge Named To Lake County Bench

WAUKEGAN, IL — A Waukegan-based attorney has been named the newest associate justice in the 19th Judicial Circuit. Patricia Cornell, an Old Mill Creek resident, will fill a vacant seat on the bench created by the retirement of Associate Judge Margaret Marcoullier, Chief Judge Jay Ukena announced Thursday.

"Since I was a teenager I have admired the Associate and Circuit Judges of the Nineteenth Judicial," Cornell said in a statement. "I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed to the position of Associate Judge. I aspire to emulate the judiciary in serving my community and the public."

Cornell is a partner at the firm Cornell Anderson LLC in private and family law practice. She earned her law degree from John Marshall Law School in 2003 and has been practicing law in Lake County for more than 14 years, according to an online biography.

Ukena said Cornell would be an excellent addition to the circuit and he looked forward to her joining the bench.

"Cornell brings a wealth of legal experience to her new role, after a distinguished career working in family law," Ukena said in a statement announcing Cornell had received the majority of votes cast in a run-off election.

A nominating committee of circuit court judges selected Cornell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Bolling Haxall, of Barrington, as the two finalists for the position, Ukena said last month. Both candidates were found "highly recommended" for the position in a poll of the entire Lake County Bar Association.

A ballot was sent by mail to all circuit judges in the circuit, which includes 15 circuit court judges who are elected to six-year terms. The circuit judges are responsible for appointing the circuit's 24 associate judges. Election and retention requires 60 percent of votes cast.