Class Notes

Peter J. Birnbaum, President and Chief Executive Officer of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., was recently reappointed by Governor JB Pritzker as the Chief Justice of the Illinois Court of Claims. Peter has served as a judge on the court since 2004 and was first appointed Chief Justice in 2015.

1989

Kenneth Goetz, Chicago, is sad to announce that classmate Mary Ann Jachna ’89 passed away on August 15, 2022, in Ocala, Florida.

1990

Ina Silvergleid, Evanston, Ill., was interviewed on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight in November 2022 about her criminal justice-themed artwork. An extension of the work that she does is representing people who have a criminal background and are seeking a second chance.

Michael Fleck, Rochelle, Ill., closed his full-time law practice in Huntley, Illinois, after 27 years. He is now senior trust officer and counsel at Resource Bank, N.A. in DeKalb, Illinois. He is also an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law, teaching Trusts and Estates.

Kevin M. Gross, Arlington Heights, Ill., has worked for the Chicago Staff Counsel department of GEICO Insurance Company since 2001, where he currently serves as a supervising attorney. He lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois, with his wife and daughter.

Jennifer Ashley, Chicago, was named a Top 100 Illinois Super Lawyers for 2023 and one of the Top 50 Female Super Lawyers for 2023. She is a partner at the Illinois law firm Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, where she concentrates her legal practice in cases concerning personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice.

Sherry Knutson, Chicago, is now partner at Tucker Ellis LLP and co-chair of the firm’s Health and Life Sciences Group, and has been selected for inclusion on the 2023 Illinois Super Lawyers list in the area of Personal Injury-Products: Defense.

Joanna Horsnail, River Forest, Ill., was appointed as managing partner of Mayer Brown’s Chicago office. While working with Mayer Brown for nearly 25 years, Horsnail has held numerous leadership roles and remains a diversity champion.

Michael Wilder, Chicago, has been elected chair of Littlers 2023 Board of Directors, succeeding Kate Mrkonich Wilson (Minneapolis), who reached the firm’s three-year term limit and will continue on as a board member.

list of the state’s top young lawyers based on his work in intellectual property law.

Michael Holden, Chicago, of Romanucci & Blandin, helped secure a $35 million resolution following a civil trial for the life-changing birth injury of a girl in 2015.

Justin Nemunaitis, Dallas, has been recognized on the 2023 Texas Rising Stars transactions. Clients rely on Sullivan for his attention to detail, problem solving, and strong follow-through on their real estate transactions.

Bruno Marasso, Chicago, of Romanucci & Blandin, secured a $6.9 million settlement on behalf of a mother and her daughter-in-law who were killed in a car collision in October 2020 in Michigan. The plaintiff decedents were at a stop sign when the defendant decedent, driving a company car, collided with the plaintiffs’ car at more than 130 mph. The case was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, and resolved through mediation. The two descendants were residents of Cook County.

Julio Costa, Chicago, is a founding partner of Costa Ivone, LLC, which is based in Chicago. He focuses his practice exclusively on personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. Costa has been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine yearly since 2015, an honor bestowed on the top 2.5 percent of attorneys in the state under the age of 40. Additionally, Costa has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer in Illinois by Leading Lawyers since 2016, as well as being honored with the Top 40 Under 40 award since 2018 by the National Trial Lawyers Association.

employment law counseling, collective bargaining, contract administration, and representation before the National Labor Relations Board.

Ryan F. Sullivan, Chicago, a member of Polsinelli’s Real Estate Practice Group, was named a shareholder at the law firm. He focuses his practice on commercial real estate

Daisy Ayllon, Chicago, of Romanucci & Blandin, helped secure a $35 million resolution following a civil trial for the life-changing birth injury of a girl in 2015.

Jake Earl, Chicago, is a new associate at a national intellectual property law firm in Chicago. He focuses his practice on trademarks, litigation, and Patent Trial and Appeal Board litigation. He attended Chicago-Kent College of Law as an honors scholar and graduated magna cum laude. While at Chicago-Kent, he served as an executive articles editor of the Law Review, served as the vice president of the Intellectual Property Law Society, and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.

Rob Kohen, Chicago, has been promoted to partner at the Chicago law firm Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard. He joined the firm as an associate attorney in 2014, and concentrates his practice on cases concerning catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability. He was also named an Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2023.

Michael R. Sherer, Waukesha, Wis., has joined von Briesen & Roper’s Labor and Employment section in its Waukesha, Wisconsin, office. He focuses his practice on employment litigation,

Mitchell Bild, Chicago, has joined the Chicago law firm of Corboy & Demetrio as an associate attorney. He is a plaintiff’s trial lawyer who practices in all areas of personal injury law.

We want to hear from you. Send us your class note by visiting alumni.kentlaw.iit.edu/ mykent/class-notes. Submissions may be edited for style and brevity.

Jerome R. Vainisi ’69

Robert W. Selby ’70

Harry John Sterling ’70

Richard P. Miller ’72

Raymond Prazen ’74

Frank B. Castiglione ’79

Revelle G. Peritz ’80

Elizabeth J. Rice ’80

Peter F. Herzog ’85

Doug Miller ’86

Jordan R. Labkon ’95

Jon M. Ellison ’12