Oak Park Lawyer Appointed as Cook County Circuit Judge

Oak Park lawyer William B. Sullivan has been appointed as Cook County Circuit Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Subcircuit, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Susan Zwick.

Sullivan’s appointment will take effect June 11, 2015, and it will end Dec. 5, 2016, following the 2016 General Election, according to an Illinois Supreme Court news release.

Sullivan lives in Oak Park with his wife, Cheryl, and three children Cali, Patrick and Megan. He is a graduate of Oak Park River Forest High School, and he earned degrees in music and history from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 1989.

He attended DePaul University for his juris doctor degree. Sullivan has a law practice in Oak Park, where he works on civil matters, and he has also worked as an adjunct professor at DePaul University College of Law and as a hearing officer with the Illinois State Board of Elections, according to the release.

Sullivan has served as the president of the Cicero Township Trustees of Schools and on the Board of Governors of the West Suburban Bar Association. He is a member of the West Suburban Bar Association and the Arab American Bar Association. He has volunteered for the Suburban Bar Coalition Judicial Screening Committee.

He’s also served as president of the Oak Park-River Forest High School Alumni Association, vice-president of the Oak Park Area Arts Council, president of the Oak Park Huskies Baseball Club and as a member of the Board of Directors of L’Arche Chicago and the Oak Park Township Senior Services Committee.

Through his practice, Sullivan has worked with first-generation Americans on a pro bono or limited fee basis. He learned basic Arabic words and phrases so he could better communicate with the Arab-Americans he has represented.

“My parents ingrained in me the importance of community involvement and I believe serving as a member of the judiciary is the highest form of public service,” Sullivan said in the release.

Justice Mary Jane Theis recommended Sullivan for the judgeship, after he qualified through the application process and reviews. He qualified or was recommended by the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screenings and The Chicago Bar Association

“I am so very grateful to Justice Theis and the Supreme Court for the confidence shown in me by this appointment and am very much looking forward to serving the citizens of Cook County and the Eleventh Subcircuit in this important role,” Sullivan said in the release.

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