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John Anderson
Judge candidate Anderson on select list  Share
According to Chicago Lawyer magazine, John Anderson is a man to watch. The Will County board member and candidate for Will County circuit judge was selected by the magazine for its elite list of ''40 Illinois attorneys under 40 to watch.'' Mac Gillespie, of Kubasiak, Fylstra, Thorpe and Rotunno, described the Monee man as having ''an uncanny ability to think outside the box and a creative problems solver.'' ''John devised strategies that no one else would have thought about,'' said Gillespie, who has worked on cases with Anderson. It is quite an honor to receive the award. In Illinois, there are 20,000 lawyers under the age of 40. Chicago Lawyer magazine received approximately 800 nominations. Nominations are made secretly and must come from outside of the nominee's law firm; often, they come from lawyers who were on the opposing side of a case. Criteria include the attorney's ''unique and exceptional lawyering skills'' and ''unique and exceptional results.''
In its article, Chicago Lawyer said ''a judge once used colorful language to illustrate Anderson's argument, stating that his briefs were the functional equivalent of someone grabbing his nose and spinning his head around on an issue.'' The article also credits Anderson with breaking new ground in several legal cases. In Weiss v. Waterhouse Securities, he persuaded the Illinois Supreme Court to clarify the pleading requirements for class actions. In another case, Gagliardo v. Caffrey, Anderson helped convince the Illinois Appellate Court that an attorney performing work for the executors of an estate has an attorney-client relationship with its beneficiaries with regard to conflicts and ethical obligations. Chicago Lawyer described Anderson as an excellent lawyer who also was concerned with doing ''what is right.'' As an example, Anderson helped save the inheritance of three siblings when he discovered that paid caregivers had engaged in a scheme to draft a will shifting most of the estate to them. Previously, the three siblings had been named the sole beneficiaries. But, when the 96-year-old woman's health had declined, the caregivers manipulated her and were able to draft a new will. Unfortunately, the original will was destroyed. Under interstate succession, the sibling's inheritance would have shrunk from approximately $2.3 million to $900,000 each. Determined to help the family, Anderson tracked down key witnesses and engaged in intensive fact finding, ultimately persuading the court to accept a photocopy of the original will, resulting in a total recovery of $6.9 million for his clients. Anderson is also committed to giving back to his community. As a director of the Lawyer's Trust Fund, he has helped provide more than $40 million in grants to organizations providing legal services for persons who are poor, disabled, elderly, or otherwise needy. ''John can't resist helping the oppressed,'' said Kathleen Konicki, a fellow Will County board member. A few highlights of his time spent on the Will County board include supporting stricter ethics guidelines for elected officials, working to protect the rights of residents of mobile home parks and fighting for people living in the footprint of the proposed South Suburban airport in Peotone. Anderson also founded and organized the ''Operation Warm Will County'' winter coat drive. Along with being an elected county commissioner serving on the Will County board and the Will County Forest Preserve since 2004, Anderson works for the Chicago law firm of Thompson, Coburn, Fagel and Haber. Following law school, he clerked for Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, one of the seven justices on the Illinois Supreme Court. Clerking was one of the highlights of Anderson's career, as he occupied a position that only a few dozen of the state's 83,881 attorneys have an opportunity to achieve. ''The best part of it was that I was able to work for a brilliant jurist like Justice Kilbride,'' said Anderson. He added: ''He (Kilbride) taught me that being a lawyer or judge is not just about doing the right thing in a courtroom. It's also about using your training to help others outside the courtroom that are less fortunate.'' His days as a clerk also helped fuel his dream of someday sitting on the bench himself. His wish may be granted soon. He is running in the November 2010 election as a judge for Sub-circuit 3, which essentially is the southern half of Will County, from Crete and Beecher in the east, all the way to Channahon and Braidwood in the west. ''Being a judge is my life's dream,'' he admits, ''Sometimes, you have to just chase it down.'' Lynn Dill is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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