New Staff Attorney MaryKate Hresil Joins MAP

One of the key support systems for Metropolitan Alliance of Police are the staff attorneys, present to serve their members and fight honestly for their members’ rights. MarkyKate Hresil is passionate about her work and is delighted to be a new staff attorney for MAP as of November last year.

“I started by working for three of the attorneys that already work for MAP,” says Hresil. “I’ve worked for these guys for the last five or six years and while working for them I decided to go to law school as I worked as a law clerk with them. Because they are all sort of associated with MAP, I started doing a lot of MAP work under them. Then, eventually, MAP made me an offer to also come on as a staff attorney. I built a relationship working in the labor field with the KGM Law Firm which helped me facilitate a relationship with MAP.”

Becoming an attorney was a lifelong dream of Hresil’s and something she always talked about through the years. “I always knew I wanted to help people and I felt like my calling was in labor and employment,” says Hresil. “I was an administrator in that field, and I got a real taste for it. Then, during law school, I got a certificate from Kent in the Labor and Employment program, and I really fell in love with the field. I love it and it is so rewarding.”

Laboring with love runs in Hresil’s family, with several of her family members being leaders or members of unions throughout Chicagoland and Illinois. “My grandfather was a Chicago police officer,” says Hresil. “My dad was a union carpenter his whole life and I have family members who are involved in unions. So, there is very heavy involvement in the labor unit. Participating in the police field is very rewarding and something I am drawn to.”

As a staff attorney, Hresil does a lot of drafting and arbitration of discipline as well as interest arbitration. “Right now, I’m kind of learning the ropes on what it means to be a MAP attorney and serving the chapters,” says Hresil. “So, I’m doing a lot of shadowing before I kind of get to go out on my own. But we’re working on some big projects and things that, if successful, can make policing a lot better for the police officers and their rights as employees in the state of Illinois.”

Being an official part of MAP has been a wonderful experience for Hresil and it has brought her closer to the folks she loves to work for. “Now that I am more involved and I’ve got to meet more of the membership, really connecting with them and interacting with them, it’s so rewarding,” says Hresil. “When you’re writing something, sometimes it’s hard to put a name to a face but it’s great to bridge that gap and actually meet people and see the person I’m trying to fight for.”

Her passion and fervor as an attorney with a desire to facilitate close working relationships are driving forces for Hresil at MAP. “Having that connection and seeing what the union is about in terms of serving its base has been really eye opening and really highlighted why I became an attorney,” she says. “I’m in the business of customer service and making employees lives better. I get to see the employees I’m working with. It’s so rewarding to help these people and I love it.”