American Board of Trial Advocates Illinois Chapter Honors Justice Kilbride and Thanks Tim Tomasik

By: Jessica Black

The Illinois Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) hosted a virtual Spring Meeting on May 20, 2021.

In this meeting, three individuals were recognized with honors by the ABOTA Illinois Chapter. ABOTA executive board members Bruce R. Pfaff and Francis R. Petrek Jr. presented former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride with the Lex Adjuvat Omnes award for his contributions to the Illinois judiciary during his twenty years of service on the bench.

ABOTA Illinois Chapter President William J. Rogers recognized Timothy S. Tomasik for the contributions he made in his two years of service as President of the Illinois Chapter. Tim was presented with the Outgoing Chairman Award in appreciation of his outstanding dedication and contribution to the Illinois Chapter of ABOTA from 2018-2020.

William Rogers also recognized past chapter president and national board member, Kevin T. Martin, who has been credited with revitalizing the organization in the early 1990s after it had become dormant.

Also presented at this meeting was “A Passion for Justice: An Encounter with Clarence Darrow” by Paul Morella. This performance is widely considered to be the definitive characterization of the legendary defense attorney, Clarence Darrow. No two performances of Mr. Morella’s are the same, as he adjusts each presentation for the specific audience. This program has been described as putting the audience in the jury box for a Darrow courtroom experience.

Watch the full Spring Meeting, including Tim Tomasik’s recognition and Paul Morella’s performance at http://illabota.org/2021-spring-meeting-law-day-program/.