In the News - Full Article

By Stephanie Potter

Cook County Circuit Judge Richard A. Siebel, regarded as a mentor and scholar in the Chancery Division, is stepping down.

Although his official retirement is Dec. 31, Siebel's last day on the bench was Tuesday. After the first of the year, he will begin a position as counsel in the Litigation Department at Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLC, a position formerly held by Richard L. Curry, the retired presiding judge of the Chancery Division.

"I'm honored to be asked to serve," Siebel said.

He said he has also been honored to work with the lawyers and judges of Cook County, who he describes as dedicated and hardworking.

The feeling is manifestly mutual, as colleagues streamed by Siebel's 23d floor chambers in the Daley Center this week to say goodbye.

"I've just not seen the reaction to anybody's retirement that I've seen to Dick's," said Circuit Judge Dorothy Kirie Kinnaird, the presiding judge of the Chancery Division.

She said Siebel's 30 years of experience in commercial and corporate law and his 16 years as a Cook County commissioner have been invaluable.

Siebel, 66, a Chicago native, got his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1964. He served in the Navy Judge Advocate General Corps from 1965 to 1967.

From 1968 to 1998, he was in private practice, first with Siebel & Siebel, then with Siebel, Whipple and Schofield. He joined the bench in 1998, leaving the Cook County Board. He has served in the Chancery Division since 2000.

A resolution passed by the County Board Wednesday honored the longtime Republican board member for both his work on the bench and on the board, where he "gleaned a reputation as a cunning opponent and also for his quiet, direct style that earned him the respect of commissioners on both sides of the aisle," the resolution said.

Janet Trowbridge, an aide to Siebel during his last three years on the board, now serves in that capacity for Commissioner Gregg Goslin, who took over Siebel's seat on the board and who was the sponsor of the resolution honoring him. While on the board, Trowbridge said, Siebel was quiet, but "when he spoke, people listened. Character-wise, he was just unimpeachable."

That assessment is a common one.

"When he first came here, he became the go-to person almost immediately," Kinnaird said. "He's a real scholar. He is one of the most ethical people I have ever met."

Because of turnover in the division due to retirements, "Judge Siebel has been the mentor to more than three-quarters of the division," Kinnaird said. Among his accomplishments, Siebel headed up a mortgage foreclosure task force that standardized procedures for handling such cases and led to the formation of a mortgage foreclosure/mechanics lien section.

Siebel also volunteered to head up a mortgage fraud task force now that he's leaving the bench, Kinnaird said.

"He's leaving a hole in this division that is huge," Kinnaird said. "He is the first person to point out new cases to me or make sure that I've read something in one of the newspapers. He's been my right-hand person and my personal mentor."

In an interview in his chambers Tuesday, Siebel said he's enjoyed being a chancery judge because of the wide variety of lawsuits he has encountered.

"This is one of those jobs where you wake up every morning and you can't wait to get to work. Every day it's something new. Every day you learn something new," he said.

But he said he is looking forward to the challenges of his new job at Bell, Boyd, where he will help resolve complex litigation cases.

He also plans to do some work in mediation and spend more time with his family, including wife JoAnne, children Christopher and Jennifer, and five grandchildren.

"I felt it was time to retire," Siebel said. "I perform at a very high level and I prefer to retire while on the upswing rather than the downswing."

His "semi-retirement" should also give him more time for his hobbies, which include fly fishing, sailboat racing, kayaking, golf and cross-country skiing.

Circuit Judge Sophia H. Hall, a colleague of Siebel's in the Chancery Division, described him as a bright and supportive co-worker.

Circuit Judge Henry A. Budzinski, presiding judge of the Probate Division, said Siebel has an excellent reputation among both lawyers and judges.

"It's going to be a sorry day for the court system when he leaves," Budzinski said.

Siebel has heard several high-profile cases. He handled the lawsuits filed by basketball star Michael Jordan and his former mistress, Karla Knafel, over Knafel's claim that Jordan had agreed to pay her $ 5 million if she refrained from going public about their affair and filing a paternity suit. The case is ongoing.

He also was the judge who dismissed a lawsuit brought by an Italian-American group claiming that the HBO show "The Sopranos" violated the Illinois Constitution.

And he approved a $ 10 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit involving McDonald's use of beef tallow to cook its french fries, contrary to advertising in which the company claimed it used only vegetable oil. The proceeds went to charity.

Siebel said some cases drew more media attention than others, but he treated all of them the same way.

"Every case we have on the docket is important to the litigants," Siebel said.

Taking Siebel's place is Circuit Judge Stuart E. Palmer, a Criminal Division judge for the last 111/2 years. When he left, he was a supervising judge for the division, acting as a conduit between Criminal Division Presiding Judge Paul P. Biebel Jr. and the judges on his team.

He started in the Chancery Division on Dec. 12, with Siebel showing him the ropes. He took over Siebel's call on Wednesday.

Both Palmer and Siebel are highly regarded, said Biebel, a former Chancery Division judge himself.

Biebel said he was sorry to see Palmer leave the Criminal Division, but wished him the best.

Palmer, 51, said he wanted to make the transition to Chancery because "it gives me the opportunity to deal with a wider range of subjects."

"It seems that there's a wide variety of areas of law that can land on your desk," Palmer said. "I think that what I'm really going to enjoy the most is the variety. And I think that's going to be the challenge."

Palmer thanked Siebel and Kinnaird for their help in making the transition. And he thanked Chief Cook County Judge Timothy C. Evans for the opportunity.

"One of the hardest things for me is I'm walking into the shoes of somebody who is one of the most highly respected judges in the division," Palmer said. "He can't be replaced, but I'm going to do the best I can to carry on his work."