Park Ridge Attorney Rick Biagi Honored for Pro Bono Work

Thanks to Park Ridge attorney Rick Biagi, Bugles Across America will continue to sound the mournful farewell tune at military funerals across the country unimpeded by legal entanglements.  Biagi, partner with Neal & McDevitt, LLC in Northfield and current president of the Park Ridge Parks and Recreation Board, was recently honored by the International Trademark Association for the pro bono help he gave the organization in dealing with potential trademark infringement.   

Featured on the organization’s website (http://www.inta.org/Membership/Pages/RickBiagiBuglesAcrossAmerica.aspx) Pro Bono Spotlight, Biagi said the project was especially meaningful to him because it combined his passion for trademark law with his passion for trumpet music.  Before beginning his legal career, Biagi, who began playing the trumpet at a young age, received a Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Illinois and studied with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

Bugles Across America was organized by Tom Day, who runs the organization out of his home in Berwyn (IL), after Congress passed legislation to provide two uniformed military personnel to fold the flag and play taps on a CD player at military funerals. Bugles Across America takes this initiative a step further by providing a live bugler to play Taps at the funeral of any veteran.

Extending beyond the music industry, Biagi has provided pro bono counsel to organizations such as Rainbow Hospice, The Theraplay Institute, Active Transportation Alliance, AmeriFace, Modern Gaelic Productions, and Life Meets Work.

For more information about Bugles Across America, go to www.buglesacrossamerica.org/.