2026 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Panelists
Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, will moderate the two-hour program.
Robert A. Clifford
Founder and Senior Partner at Clifford Law Offices
Robert A. Clifford is the founder of Clifford Law Offices in Chicago, an internationally-recognized plaintiffs’ trial firm that concentrates in aviation, transportation, personal injury, medical negligence, product liability law, mass torts and class actions. Mr. Clifford is among only eight personal injury attorneys in the nation selected as one of America’s Top 200 Lawyers in Forbes’ inaugural list of 2024, and the only personal injury attorney selected from Illinois. The National Law Journal has awarded Mr. Clifford the Elite Trial Lawyers’ Award as well as its Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Clifford has the distinction of being selected by Super Lawyers, a peer-review organization, as the number one lawyer in Illinois from 2009-2016 and in 2023-2024 and has always been in the top three. He was named by Chicago Magazine as one of the 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans and was named the 2012 Chicago Lawyer Magazine’s Person of the Year, based upon his trial accomplishments, his contributions to the legal community and to the Chicago area. In 2022, Mr. Clifford was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award by DePaul University College of Law, his alma mater, as well as the Trial Lawyer Excellence Award by the Jury Verdict Reporter. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals gave him its Professionalism Award in 2014. The Chicago Bar Association gave him the Justice John Paul Stevens Award in 2017, its highest honor. Also that year he received the Unity Award by the Diversity Scholarship Foundation. The National Trial Lawyers named Bob Clifford the Class Action Trial Lawyer of 2018, as well as one of America’s 52 Most Influential Trial Lawyers in 2022. He has been listed in Best Lawyers from its inception, decades ago, including being the top in the Chicago metropolitan area in certain practice areas. In 2019, the Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association honored Mr. Clifford with the Leonard Ring Lifetime Achievement Award. He also was among those honored in 2019 by Public Justice’s Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. He has been top-listed in Best Lawyers, the oldest attorney peer-review ranking service in the country, for decades.
Mr. Clifford has represented those injured or killed in every major commercial airline crash in the U.S. in the last four decades. This includes the American Airlines crash at O’Hare in 1979; the United Airlines DC-10 crash in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989; the Comair runway crash in Lexington, Kentucky of 2006; the Continental Colgan crash of 2009; and, internationally, the Turkish Airlines crash in Amsterdam of 2009. He is currently Lead Counsel on behalf of families of the victims onboard the tragic Boeing crash of a 737 MAX-8 in Ethiopia in 2019. Mr. Clifford served as the liaison counsel for the subrogation and business property damage claims that resulted from the tragic September 11, 2001 crashes at the World Trade Center in New York. He served as lead counsel in the negotiation and settlement of those claims that settled for $1.2 billion. Mr. Clifford’s trial career has been marked by many record verdicts including a young woman who suffered permanent injuries after being dragged by a semi. The jury returned a record $35 million verdict for the young woman.
In addition to practicing law, Mr. Clifford is dedicated to the furtherance of the legal profession and has been actively involved and held leadership roles with the American Bar Association (Chair of the Section of Litigation and Chair of the ABA’s charitable arm, the Fund for Justice and Education), Chicago Bar Association (President), Chicago Inn of Court (President), American College of Trial Lawyers and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (President). He is also a member of the American Law Institute and the Inner Circle of Advocates. For more than 30 years, he has sponsored the Annual Clifford Tort Symposium on Tort Law and Civil Justice at DePaul University College of Law that brings together the best and brightest on a topic of interest to the public and that results in a special law review issue of articles by the academic and judicial participants. For over 18 years, his firm has offered an annual free Continuing Legal Education program, gathering over 3,500 attendees each year. Mr. Clifford also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, a charitable organization and host of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, which benefits more than 200,000 at-risk and underprivileged children in Southwest Florida.
Judge Michael J. Chmiel
Co-Chair, Illinois State Bar Association AI Committee, Circuit Court of McHenry County
Effective January 1, 2005, Chmiel was appointed to the 19th Judicial Circuit, which became the 22nd Judicial Circuit in 2006. He filled a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ward Arnold and took over his Traffic Division call, then served as the Juvenile Court judge for McHenry County from May 2, 2005, through September 14, 2009, when he was assigned to a family law call. He was elected in 2006 and became the new circuit’s first presiding judge of its new Family Division in 2007. On January 3, 2012, Chmiel was assigned to the circuit’s Civil Division, became supervising judge of arbitration, and was assigned the circuit’s chancery (other than foreclosure) and probate calls. He served as the Civil Division presiding judge from 2018-21. In June, 2022, Chmiel was elected to serve a two-year term as Chief Judge, replacing Judge James S. Cowlin who had held the role since 2018. He served as chief judge from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024. He was succeeded in that role by Judge Michael W. Feetterer. Chmiel was retained for additional six-year terms in the November 2012, 2018, and 2024 elections. Effective January 2, 2025, Chmiel was assigned to a civil call, hearing all arbitration, all small claims, and civil collection cases relating to closed criminal and traffic cases. He also serves as Alternate Dispute Resolution Supervising Judge.
In November 2005, Chmiel was appointed to the Minimum Continuing Legal Education Board by the Supreme Court and served as its first treasurer through 2010. In 2011, he was appointed to the Judicial Faculty for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. He also serves on various committees of the 22nd Judicial Circuit, including the Public Relations committee, which he chairs. Effective April 12, 2022, Chmiel was appointed a member of the Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law, for a term expiring December 31, 2025.
Admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 1990, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin 1997, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court 1999, and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois 2004. Chmiel began his legal career as a law clerk to the Hon. Richard N. DeGunther of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois (1990-92). He worked for the law firm of Barrick, Switzer, Long, Balsley & Van Evera as well as Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle. Immediately prior to joining the bench, he was in private practice with the firm of Chmiel & Matuszewich in Crystal Lake.
Daniel W. Linna, Jr.
Senior Lecturer & Director of Law and Technology Initiatives, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law & McCormick School of Engineering
For more than a decade Dan has focused his work on applications of artificial intelligence and data analytics for legal-services delivery. Currently, Dan has a joint appointment at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and in the Computer Science Department of Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering as a Senior Lecturer and the Director of Law and Technology Initiatives. Dan’s teaching and research focus on innovation and technology, including the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics to improve legal-services delivery as well as the law, regulation, and governance of computational technologies. Dan is also an affiliated faculty member at CodeX — The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics.
Dan received his BA from the University of Michigan, received a second BA and an MA in public policy and administration from Michigan State University, and graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif from the University of Michigan Law School. Dan began his legal career with a one-year judicial clerkship for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge James L. Ryan. After his clerkship, he joined Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn, where he was elected equity partner in 2013. Before law school, Dan was an information technology manager, developer, and consultant.
Mark Palmer
Chief Counsel, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
Mark C. Palmer has served as Chief Counsel of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism since 2015, always dedicated to advancing the quality of justice and upholding the rule of law across Illinois. In this role, Mark supports efforts to promote professionalism, civility, and integrity within the legal and judicial systems.
His work includes spearheading statewide initiatives such a statewide lawyer mentoring program, courthouse professionalism trainings, and other educational programming for lawyers, judges, and law students.
Mark’s commitment to innovation in the legal profession extends to serving on the Illinois Supreme Court’s E-Business Policy Board and Illinois Judicial Conference’s AI Task Force. His thought leadership in legal technology areas earned him recognition as a 2023 vLex Fastcase 50 honoree for his contributions as one of “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, lawyers, and leaders.”
Before joining the Commission, Mark was in private practice at Evans, Froehlich, Beth & Chamley in Champaign. His practice spanned litigation and transactional matters with a focus on commercial disputes, banking law, municipal law, and appellate advocacy in state and federal courts. He also served on the federal Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel, representing indigent defendants in federal courts.
Mark has always been actively engaged in professional and civic service. He served on the Illinois State Bar Association’s Board of Governors (2019–2025) and Assembly (2013-present), and has chaired the Public Interest Law Initiative’s (PILI) 6th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee for over a decade. He serves on the Advisory Council of the National Legal Mentoring Consortium while mentoring undergraduate and law students.
Mark has been an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law since 2009 where he’s taught advanced trial advocacy and continues to guest lecture on ethics, professionalism, and legal technology.
Mark is a proud alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.A.) and the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (J.D.). He was honored in 2024 with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Outstanding Alumni Award.
Outside of work, he enjoys cheering on Illini sports with his family, exploring local trails at Allerton Park, or tending to their garden.
Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson
Chancery Division – General Section, Circuit Court of Cook County
Judge Thaddeus L. Wilson was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County on August 31, 2007, and elected in 2010. He was retained in 2016 and 2022. Judge Wilson is currently assigned to the Chancery Division – General Section. Before that, he was assigned to the Criminal Division, where he served as a supervising judge responsible for handling administrative motions and resources for a team of judges in addition to hearing his own felony trial call.
Judge Wilson is a native of South Carolina. During his senior year of high school, he served as a youth advisor to then South Carolina governor Richard W. Riley. In 1989, he received his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from the University of Notre Dame in Management of Information Systems and a double major in Philosophy. Upon graduating, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, to work as a computer programmer and systems analyst for Joseph T. Ryerson & Son. Judge Wilson received his law degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1994.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Wilson was the managing attorney of the Law Office of Brookins & Wilson (A Partnership of Professional Corporations). He practiced in the areas of personal injury, criminal defense, general civil litigation, civil rights/police misconduct, bankruptcy, foreclosure, and election law. As part of this multifaceted litigation practice, he represented corporations, banks, municipalities, insurance companies, and individuals. He also served as an arbitrator with the Circuit Court of Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program and as a hearing officer for the Chicago Board of Elections. He argued cases before the Illinois Appellate Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Wilson is admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Before joining the bench, Judge Wilson was a founding board member and chair of the KIPP Ascend Charter School -- founded in 2003 to empower students with the character and academic skills necessary to succeed in top-quality high schools and universities, to be happy in the competitive world, and to have a positive impact on their communities. He was also a longtime member of the Cook County Bar Association ARDC Liaison Committee -- which worked with disciplined lawyers in conjunction with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, to complete law office management terms and conditions ordered by the Illinois Supreme Court.
In 2011, Judge Wilson was appointed a member of the Judicial Conference of Illinois by the Supreme Court. The Judicial Conference is responsible for suggesting improvements in the administration of justice in Illinois. He has served on the Study Committee on Complex Litigation, the Automation and Technology Committee, and the Committee on Civil Litigation. Judge Wilson has been a presenter with the Judicial Education Conference, teaching on Extended Media Coverage and on Digital, Electronic & Internet Evidence in Criminal Cases.
In 2015, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Judge Wilson to its e-Business Policy Advisory Board. The Advisory Board was created to provide recommendations, advice, and guidance to the Supreme Court and its Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts regarding the implementation of e-Business applications and data exchanges in Illinois circuit courts. Additionally, he sat on the Interactive Orders System (IOS) Pilot Committee of the Criminal Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The now-defunct IOS Committee was tasked with designing and implementing a new data collection, order entry, and paper-on-demand computer system in the Criminal Division. In March of 2011, Judge Wilson created and implemented a case management order for the orderly and timely disposition of felony criminal cases in his courtroom. In 2017, he was tapped to lead a team of judges in implementing a caseflow management protocol across the entire Criminal Division. Also in 2017, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to the newly created Illinois Judicial College. He served on the Committee on Judicial Education until 2019. The Judicial College is charged with coordinating, directing, and delivering continuing education and training for all Illinois judges, including the identification of emerging legal, sociological, cultural, and technical issues that may impact decision-making and court administration by Illinois judges.
In 2021, Judge Wilson was appointed to the newly formed Court Technology Modernization Steering Committee of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. The committee was tasked with assessing the current state of court technology in each of the 24 circuit courts and providing recommendations for improvement and change. He was appointed to the Supreme Court’s Weighted Caseload Task Force in 2019. That committee was created as part of the Judicial Branch’s Strategic Agenda. The Weighted Caseload Task Force is charged with studying the feasibility of a statewide judicial caseload and workload study and presenting a report with options, methods, costs, and recommendations to the Illinois Judicial Conference. Additionally, he served as a member of the Socrata Judicial Focus Group - - tasked with gathering, analyzing, and disseminating court performance data.
Judge Wilson has also achieved the honor and designation of ASTAR Fellow in Advanced Science and Technology (completing 120 hours of coursework on complex science and technology issues and a scientific literature research project).
In 2014, Judge Wilson presided over the first-ever terrorism case tried in the Circuit Court of Cook County under Illinois’ state terrorism statutes. The case centered on charges against three individuals protesting during the NATO conference held in Chicago. In 2015, he presided over the first complete trial to be recorded and televised live with cameras, gavel to gavel, in a courtroom in Cook County, Illinois. He also presided over a second trial televised live in 2019 involving the gang retaliation execution of a 9-year-old child near a Chicago park. In 2025, Judge Wilson presided over the case, finding Trump Tower Chicago’s cooling system violated permitting and environmental laws, causing significant harm to aquatic life in the Chicago River, which ultimately resulted in a $4.8 million settlement, injunctions, fines, and habitat restoration.
In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Wilson was the 2020-2021 president of the Illinois Judicial Council (IJC). The IJC is an organization of African American judges whose mission is to enhance the image of the judiciary, serve the community, award scholarships to deserving law students, and promote equal access to the courts and to justice. Judge Wilson also worked as an adjunct professor at The John Marshall Law School – teaching Criminal Procedure and also teaching a course on Voting Rights & Election Law. He also lectures at continuing legal education seminars in the areas of constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, ethics, and technology in the courts. Amongst others, he has presented at conferences for the Cook County Bar Association, the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), the Cook County Public Defender’s Office MCLE Training Program, the American Bar Association, the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, and the Hinshaw University In-House CLE Program.
2025 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Instructor
Erin Clifford, JD, MA, LPC, NBC-HWC
Managing Director, Clifford Law Offices
Founder, Erin Clifford Wellness
Erin Clifford is the Managing Director at Clifford Law Offices, Chicago’s premier personal injury law firm. She provides overall management of strategic business development, including planning, coordinating, and implementation of marketing and business plans. providing her with an understanding of the stressors that a high-demanding job entails. Erin is also a corporate wellness consultant who is deeply passionate about helping professionals create healthy lifestyles for a more fulfilling, happier existence. Corporations and law firms hire Erin to speak, train and coach their employees so they incorporate appropriate lifestyle changes that produce real and lasting results, yielding more productivity and positivity in the workplace. Born and raised in Chicago, Erin began her career teaching for Chicago Public Schools. She holds a Juris Doctor (JD) from DePaul College of Law and a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Illinois, a National Certified Counselor, and certified as a holistic wellness coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She also holds the highest credential in wellness coaching as a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). Her book, Wellness Reimagined: A Holistic Approach to Health, Happiness, and Harmony, published by Forefront Books releases in May 2025.