Current Board

President Raymond Rushing is Corporate Counsel of Global Litigation at Cummins Inc. Prior to Cummins, President Rushing spent six (6) years at national and global law firms helping clients solve some of their most complex issues in the areas of product liability, toxic tort, and commercial litigation. Prior to private practice, President Rushing served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Maria Valdez of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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In 2021, President Rushing was named as a Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and Chicago Lawyer 40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch honoree. In 2024, President Rushing was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Committee on Character and Fitness. President Rushing is also a fierce advocate for service in the community and lives by the motto "be better and do better." President Rushing also serves on the board of BUILD, one of Chicago’s leading gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organizations. A native of Oklahoma, President Rushing received his Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies and Master’s in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma. President Rushing received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.

Nicholas is the founder of Osiris Professional Services, LLC, and the former Corporation Counsel/City Attorney for the City of Evanston, the first person of color to serve in the role. Prior to being appointed to Corporation Counsel, Nicholas served as the Deputy City Attorney, where he advised Evanston’s Reparations Subcommittee regarding the legal hurdles facing restorative justice programs.

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Nicholas currently serves as the President-Elect of the Cook County Bar Association and will be installed in June 2024. Prior to being elected to President-Elect, Nicholas has served as the Vice President of Committee on Committees; Vice President of Education and Information; Financial Secretary; and Chair of the Judicial Evaluation Committee.

Antonio Lee is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana at the U.S. Department of Justice. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Lee was an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO), where he handled all aspects of civil litigation for torts and civil rights cases in state, appellate, and federal court.

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Prior to working at the CCSAO, Mr. Lee was selected into the prestigious U.S. Presidential Management Fellows program, where he served with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Department of Justice – Community Relations Service. He holds several local and national leadership positions while tutoring law students to successfully pass state bar examinations and increase diversity in the legal profession. Mr. Lee is a licensed attorney in Georgia, Illinois, and the District of Columbia.

LeDeidre Turner currently serves the Cook County Bar Association (“CCBA”) as the Vice President of Education and Information and Co-Chairman of the Minority Law Student Job Fair. She is an Assistant General Counsel with Commonwealth Edison Company (“ComEd”) where she represents ComEd before the Illinois Commerce Commission and other state agencies in administrative proceedings and other relevant litigation.

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LeDeidre also serves as a Board Member for Legal Aid Chicago and Foster Progress. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Lambda Tau Omega Chapter. LeDeidre received a Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School (now known as UIC School of Law) and a Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College.

Monique Patton Woody currently serves as Assistant General Counsel for ComEd’s Regulatory Litigation Division. She is the General Secretary for the Cook County Bar Association’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Cook County Bar Association’s Mental Health Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors for Center for Independent Futures.

Wiley S. Adams retired as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of PGIM, Inc., the global investment management businesses of Prudential Financial, Inc. PGIM has offices around the world and is one of 10 largest investment managers in the world with approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2021. Wiley led a team of approximately 80 lawyers in support of PGIM’s operations around the world.

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Prior to his role above, Wiley was Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Prudential Capital Group (now known as PGIM Private Capital (“PPC”) which is a division of PGIM). PPC is the largest manager of privately placed debt investments in the United States with over $97 billion of private debt and equity securities under management as of December 31, 2021. Upon his retirement, Wiley was enshrined in PPC’s Hall of Fame being one of fewer than 10 individuals awarded that honor during PPC’s 97-year history.

Wiley is a lifetime member of (i) the National Bar Association (and honored as, among other honors, a Living Legend of the organization) (“NBA”), (ii) the National Bar Institute, (iii) the Cook County Bar Association (an inaugural lifetime member), (iv) the Garden State Bar Association and (v) the NAACP, in addition to serving on the board of the Cook County Bar Association Foundation. He was recently elected NBA President-Elect and has served on the board of the NBA, as a Vice President, as NBA Region VII director and made substantial contributions to numerous NBA committees and programs over the years (including the MLK Competition).

Wiley has been a faithful contributor to the Cook County Bar Association (“CCBA”) and the Cook County Bar Association Foundation (“CCBAF”). In addition to financially supporting the CCBA in numerous ways, Wiley has contributed his time serving as a director on CCBA’s board and served on numerous committees.

Over the years, he has personally positively impacted hundreds of lawyers, students and others and his work continues to this day.

Nyshana was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. She attended The University of Illinois at Chicago where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences. Nyshana received her Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School now known as The University of Illinois Law School in 2004.

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Nyshana started working as an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in June 2004. Nyshana has dedicated her entire legal career to serving the public through her work as an ASA. She worked in the First Municipal Division, the Juvenile Justice Division, and the Felony Trial Division where she has litigated hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases including over 40 felony jury trials.

Nyshana actively gives back to the community through her participation on committees in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.- Chicago Alumnae Chapter and through her church, St. Mark United Methodist Church. She has served in leadership roles within a number of professional organizations including the Cook County Bar Association, the National Black Prosecutors Association, and the Chicago Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In her spare time, Nyshana enjoys singing, gardening, cooking, and traveling.

Glori is an associate in the Firm's business litigation practice. She handles complex business litigation and class action matters, typically representing city governments and municipalities.

Glori enjoys how litigation cases do not have a one-size-fits-all solution and finds that each case has a unique set of complex issues, allowing her to constantly learn something new.

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She is very proud of the work she is doing in an ongoing police brutality and excessive force and civil rights claims case.

Prior to joining Thompson Coburn, Glori worked as an Assistant State's Attorney in the Municipal Litigation Unit of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. In that capacity, she represented elected Cook County Officials and their offices in a myriad of litigation matters. She also handled the entire Building and Zoning Circuit Court Call for Cook County. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic she was promoted to the Supervisor of the FOIA Unit. She was tasked with staffing and building a unit from the ground up. During her time there she handled very high profile and sensitive matters for the State's Attorney's Office and was pivotal in implementing new processes and technology. She started her career in law as a real estate paralegal and worked everywhere from state agencies to private firms handling commercial and residential real estate matters from start to finish. Glori earned a B.A. in Political Science from DePaul University, a certificate in legal studies from Loyola University Chicago, and her J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.

Joseph Deloney is an associate at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, where he practices product liability and mass tort litigation. Prior to working in private practice, Joseph served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Justice Carl A. Walker of the Illinois Appellate Court. He currently sits on the associate board for the Black Men Lawyers' Association and is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated.

Lesley D. Gool grew up in the Beverly Hills neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Morgan Park High School. She earned a B.A. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and later pursued further education, receiving her J.D. and LL.M. in Intellectual Property from The John Marshall Law School. During law school, Lesley worked as an extern at the Illinois Appellate Court, where she clerked for the current Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville, gaining valuable experience in the field.

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Lesley is authorized to practice before the United States Supreme Court and is a member of the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois Bar as well as the state of Illinois Bar.

Lesley began her legal career as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney (“ASA”) and worked in that position for 15 years. As an ASA, Lesley ensured that justice was dispensed fairly and that the rights and welfare of all parties were protected. She used her discretion without hesitation when carrying out her ethical duties as a public servant. Currently, Lesley is the Deputy General Counsel for the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Louis C. Raymond II, Esq., is a dynamic attorney and seasoned government affairs expert with a rich background spanning law, military service, and impactful leadership roles. As the Principal of Raymond Law Group, LLC, he specializes in municipal law, real estate, and probate matters, actively assisting not-for-profit organizations and small businesses.

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Born and raised in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood, Louis's values of leadership and service were ingrained early on. Armed with a B.A. in Political Science from Illinois State University and a Master's in Policy Studies from Roosevelt University, he joined the U.S. Navy as an Intelligence Officer, where he coordinated international operations and delivered over 1,000 intelligence briefs to senior military leaders.

Currently serving as the President of C & J Strategies and the Principal of Raymond Law Group, LLC, Louis is a sought-after government affairs consultant navigating legislative complexities for municipal and private sector clients. Simultaneously, he prosecutes ordinance violations, ensuring compliance with municipal laws. A dedicated family man, Louis, along with his wife Lauren Raymond, Esq., cherishes time with their two children, Louis 'Trey' Raymond III and Liberty Raymond. With a comprehensive background in law, government affairs, and education, Louis C. Raymond II continues to be a driving force for positive change and community advancement.

Larry R. Rogers, Jr. is a trial lawyer with over 25 years of experience advocating for victims. As a trial attorney and partner at Power Rogers, LLP, Mr. Rogers, Jr. has successfully settled and tried to verdict many multi-million dollar results for his clients in medical negligence, trucking, product liability, and civil rights litigation.

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He is a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates an invitation-only group of trial lawyers from across the country invited and admitted based upon their results and commitment to representing victims. Mr. Rogers Jr. was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the top personal injury lawyers of a new generation of trial attorneys.

Mr. Rogers, Jr. has been involved in several significant high-profile matters, including the investigation of what happened to Sandra Bland a Chicagoland resident who was found dead in a Texas jail cell after an unlawful traffic stop. He represents families in several civil rights and police brutality cases including the tragic shooting of Bettie Ruth Jones on the west side of Chicago which he recently resolved for a record 16 million dollars. He has been a frequent guest on local and national radio and television shows to discuss events affecting the citizens of Chicago and the country.

Mr. Rogers, Jr. and the attorneys at Power Rogers have represented victims against some of the most powerful interests in the country and have been ranked at the top of their field, with 11 consecutive 1st place rankings from 2010 to 2020 in the Chicago Lawyer Annual Settlement Survey which ranks firms based on their results.

Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. I attended Lindblom Technical High School, Class of 1983. I received an Associates of Arts from Kennedy – King College and a B. A. in Political Science from Roosevelt University. Received a Juris Doctorate from The Claude Petit College of Law at Ohio Northern University in 1993. Employed as an Assistant Public Defender at the Law Office of the Cook County Public

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Defender for 29years. As an Assistant Public Defender, I’ve been assigned to the Child Protection, Juvenile Justice, Felony Trial Division in Night Drug Court, Felony Trial and Markham Divisions. Represented the indigent accused charged with all classes of felonies, including First Degree Murder. Formerly, an Attorney Supervisor in charge of the Problem-Solving Courts in all six districts. Served on the Screening and Referral Committee for the Restorative Justice Community Court, was the designee for the Public Defender of Cook County as a member of the Oversight Board for Adult Redeploy Illinois as a voting member and on Site Selection and Monitoring Committee, Co-Chair of the Policy Committee for the Justice and Mental Health Collaborative, former member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Association of Problem Solving Courts. Former supervisor in charge of Bond Court at 26th and California

Currently, I am an Attorney Supervisor in the Felony Trial Division at 26th and California.

I am on the Board of Directors of the Cook County Bar Association, the oldest bar association of African-American lawyers and judges in the country. a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

I am married and the mother of one child plus four “Bonus” babies, and adoptive mom to an Australian Cattle Dog named Mr. Shadow.

Charmaine A. Saffore is a current member of the Board of Director’s for the Cook County Bar Association. She is a solo practitioner specializing in tax law. Before that she was an Assistant Attorney General at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office litigating white collar crime. Also, she served an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Lake County States Attorney’s Office. She received her Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) in 2017 and Juris Doctorate in 2015 from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law. She is the mother of twin daughters currently in college.

The Honorable Pamela Saindon has practiced law for 28 years. On March 27, 2023, Judge Saindon was appointed Associate Judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Judge Saindon was a Mental Health Specialist in Englewood, where she counseled court-referred adolescents and adults. After law school, Judge Saindon’s most notable and proud accomplishments include her Appellate and Supreme Court judicial clerkships for Justice William Cousins, Jr. and Justice Charles Freeman.

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After her clerkships, Judge Saindon was an Associate General Counsel for the Chicago Housing Authority and a Principal Attorney with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. During her legal career, Judge Saindon has been an educator and advocate for social justice. She was an Adjunct Professor at UIC Law School. She has served the African American community as 2nd Vice President and Political Action Committee Chair of the NAACP Chicago Southside branch. She is currently a Board member of the Cook County Bar Association, where she co-chairs the Legislation Committee, Hall of Fame Committee, and served on the Judicial Reception Committee, Lawyers in the Community Committee, and Mental Health Committee. Judge Saindon is also on the Board of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers and a member of the Decalogue’s Committee Against Anti-Semitism and Hate.

Attorney Felicia H. Simmons-Stovall has been practicing law for over 25 years. Attorney Simmons-Stovall is currently an Assistant State’s Attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Child Support Enforcement Division. In this capacity, she manages a daily court call involving child support and enforcement matters on behalf of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

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She has served as an Administrative Hearing Officer presiding over formal hearings for the Illinois Secretary of State and prosecutor for the same agency. Felicia also represented the Illinois Secretary of State Securities Department as a prosecutor, in actions involving fraudulent financial investments, loan brokering, business opportunities and business brokering. As a seasoned attorney, Attorney Simmons-Stovall successfully advocated for clients in landlord tenant disputes, civil asset forfeiture, parental allocation and dissolutions of marriages matters, in her prior solo practice.

Felicia is an active member of the Cook County Bar Association. She is presently a member of CCBA’s Board of Director and has served on CCBA’s Judicial Evaluation Committee, Judges Night Committee, Hall of Fame Committee and Family Law Committee.

Attorney Simmons-Stovall was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools and earned her bachelor’s in business administration from Iowa State University, Master of Business Administration from DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law.

Juan R. Thomas is currently serving as the 75th President of the National Bar Association (NBA), the largest Association of African-American lawyers, judges, and law students in the United States and is Of Counsel to Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A., and is the founder and principal of the Thomas Law Group. Mr. Thomas' practice includes the following specialties: real estate/estate planning, labor and employment, and family law. In addition, Mr. Thomas provides counseling and training to firm clients in areas involving personnel, collective bargaining, and business development matters.

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eThe National Black Lawyers: Top 100 includes Mr. Thomas on its list of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, an honor given to only a select group of lawyers for their superior skills and qualifications in the field. Membership in this exclusive organization is by invitation only and is limited to the top 100 attorneys in each state or region who have demonstrated excellence and have achieved outstanding results in their careers. Mr. Thomas’ selection was based upon his performance as an exceptional lawyer in the practice area of matrimonial and family law in the state of Illinois.

Mr. Thomas is a member of the Governmental Affairs Standing Committee in the American Bar Association’s (ABA). He also serves on the Council of the State and Local Government Section of the ABA and is also a member of the Editorial Board for the Human Rights Magazine for the ABA’s Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice. Mr. Thomas also serves on the Illinois State Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Racial & Ethnic Minorities and serves on the Cook County Bar Association Board of Directors.

Mr. Thomas’ passion is community and public service. While in law school, he successfully ran for the West Aurora School Board, commuting 120 miles each way every weekend during the campaign. At the age of twenty-five (25), Mr. Thomas became the youngest person ever elected to the West Aurora School Board and became the first African-American ever re-elected to the Board in 1999. While on the school board, Mr. Thomas served as Chairman of the Board’s Personnel Committee. Mr. Thomas continues to serve his hometown of Aurora as a member of the A+ Foundation Board of Directors for West Aurora School District #129 which supports and promotes educational, cultural, and charitable programs for the students and alumni. Mr. Thomas has also demonstrated his commitment to education and the community by serving as an adjunct professor at North Park University, Aurora University, and Robert Morris College teaching courses in conflict resolution, negotiation strategies, and business law in addition to volunteering as a public speaker with Chicago Public Schools through their Communities in Schools Program.

In 2004, Mr. Thomas was elected a Delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. The following year in 2005, he was elected Aurora Township Clerk becoming the first African-American to win a township-wide office in Aurora, IL, the second largest city in the state. In 2009, he was re-elected Aurora Township Clerk with 57% of the vote receiving more votes than any other candidate seeking an Aurora Township office that year. Mr. Thomas was the first Democrat ever to serve as Aurora Township Clerk.

This past May, Mr. Thomas was named General Counsel of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. Mr. Thomas also serves on the Board of Directors of Mutual Ground Inc., an organization committed to providing services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Association, Leadership Greater Chicago Fellows Association, and 100 Black Men of Chicago, Inc. Mr. Thomas has previously served on the boards of the Community Renewal Society and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. He served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Quad County African-American Chamber of Commerce serving west suburban Chicago from 2006-08 and served as the Chairman of the Board of the City of Aurora African-American Heritage Advisory Board in 2007-08.

Mr. Thomas is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He received his Juris Doctor and Master’s in Educational Policy Degrees from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Mr. Thomas is an ordained Baptist minister and recently completed course work to receive his Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago School of Divinity. Mr. Thomas and his wife, Angela, are proud members of St. John AME Church in Aurora where he serves as the Minister for the Men's Ministry.

Ms. Jenkins is the immediate past president of the Cook County Bar Association (CCBA), which is the oldest association of African American lawyers and judges in the nation, founded in 1914. She is the youngest woman president in the organization’s history. Professionally, she serves as a Labor & Employment Attorney at the law firm of Littler Mendelson P.C. which is the largest labor and employment law firm in the U.S.

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Before Littler, she served as Labor Relations Manager & Arbitration Counsel for United Airlines, Inc. In that role, she served as lead counsel in grievance proceedings, mediations, and arbitrations to ensure that collective bargaining agreements (CBA) and disciplinary procedures were consistently enforced across company divisions.

Ms. Jenkins formerly served as General Counsel of Teamsters Local 700 and before that sh served as Senior Attorney for the Chicago Transit Authority, where she represented the Authority in complex employment lawsuits and labor matters. Before CTA, she served as Labor & Employment Counsel for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, representing over 20 Illinois state agencies in labor arbitrations involving employee discharge or contract disputes. Ms. Jenkins is also a former Assistant Attorney General, where she practiced civil litigation and criminal prosecution.

Ms. Jenkins received a B.A. from Hamilton College in 2007 and a J.D. from UIC Law School in 2012. Before attending law school, Ms. Jenkins served as a Capitol Hill intern for Congressman. Bobby L. Rush and worked as a legal assistant for international law firms such as DLA Piper LLP and Reed Smith LLP. Moreover, her experience as a legal advocate in both the public and private sector allow her to zealously advocate on behalf of her clients.

In her spare time, she loves to travel, cook and spend time with her family.

Mark A. Dunham, Jr. serves as the Parliamentarian of the Cook County Bar Association, providing advice to the Board of Directors and the membership on the application of parliamentary procedure and the interpretation of the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws, as well as chair of the Bylaws Committee. Professionally, Mr. Dunham works as Director & Senior Counsel, Corporate Governance & Compliance at Mondelēz International – makers of iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, Ritz, and Clif Bar.

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Prior to in-house work, Mr. Dunham was in private practice at three large, international law firms. Prior non-profit board service includes work with the National Black Law Students Association, Inc., where he served in numerous roles, including as its 48th National Chair, chair of its Alumni Advisory Committee, and general counsel. A double graduate of American University, Mr. Dunham received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2012 and his law degree in 2018. Mr. Dunham is married to Attorney Christian A. Conway, a member of the New York and Illinois bars, and lives in Oak Park, Illinois.

Eileen Letts is a premier civil trial attorney, with dozens of jury trials and over 100 bench trials, often. to Fortune 500 companies and iconic government entities. Ms. Letts has won high-stakes trials in a wide variety of subject matter areas. Areas of focus include complex tort and commercial litigations.

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She also has experience with employment matters and internal investigations. Ms. Letts is a member of the House of Delegates (i.e.: the policymaking body) of the American Bar Association and a Trustee of the National Judicial College. She currently chairs the Magistrate Selection Committee for the Northern District of Illinois.

Ms. Letts is a frequent presenter at continuing legal education seminars and panel discussions. Ms. Letts began her career clerking for the Honorable Glenn T. Johnson, Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court.