Fed Court Boot Camp Conference (IL): How to Practice in Federal Court

Faculty:

Miguel is a partner in the law firm of Pretzel & Stouffer, Chartered, in Chicago. Pretzel & Stouffer is recognized as a leading defense trial firm and Miguel is recognized as one of the leading defense attorneys in Chicago. This distinction was recently conferred upon Miguel by the publishers of Chicago Magazine and Law & Politics (Illinois Super Lawyers 2006, published in the Chicago Magazine, February 2006). Throughout his career, Miguel has been involved in the defense of matters involving catastrophic injuries, professional negligence and business disputes. He has distinguished himself in the courtroom, earning praise from both his adversaries and members of the bench. Miguel is known for his professional demeanor and his tenacious advocacy on behalf of his clients.

Miguel obtained his law degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Law (‘92),  and his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago (‘89). He is a member of the Illinois Bar, the Wisconsin Bar (Inactive Status), and he is licensed to practice before the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Federal Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and the Federal District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. He is a guest lecturer at the Loyola University School of Law and he is fluent in Spanish. He is a member of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. Miguel also serves by appointment of the Honorable Richard M. Daley as Chairman for the Board of Ethics for the City of Chicago, and he is a member of the Local School Council for the James G. Blaine Elementary School.

Cynthia has spent over fifteen years working for the federal courts at the trial and appellate levels.  She is a career law clerk to the Honorable Blanche M. Manning of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and previously served as a motions attorney at the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  In addition, she was an Adjunct Professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she taught an appellate advocacy seminar for five years.  She was chosen to serve on the next generation CM/ECF project, where she is tasked with developing requirements to enhance the functionality of the federal judiciary’s electronic case management and docketing system.  Before her clerkships, Cynthia practiced commercial litigation at Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather and Geraldson.  Cynthia received her J.D. in 1991 from Cornell University.

Mary Curry received her B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1999 and graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2005.  Immediately following law school she clerked for the Honorable James F. Henry in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County for two years.  In 2007, Mary began clerking for the Honorable Susan E. Cox, a United States Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of Illinois, where she is currently. 

Mary is also active in the Chicago Bar Association where, in 2005 and 2006, she served as the Young Lawyers Division Chair for the Mental Health & Disability Law Committee, and more recently has served on the Young Lawyers Division’s board as the Secretary, Special Project Coordinator and currently serves as Project Officer. In addition, Mary serves on the board of the Federal Bar Association.

Rick has an exceptional command and keen sense of the court room.  His quick ability to observe and fluidly present his client's issues has resulted in more than 35,000,000 in settlements and verdicts in his last 15 high profile cases.  Rick has tried more than 35 cases through to jury verdicts and settlements and has arbitrated and mediated more than 100 cases to successful judgments and settlements.

Rick is an adjunct professor of law at Northwestern University.  He began teaching there in 1998.  He teaches trial advocacy.  Rick was selected by the student body as the school’s “Most Outstanding Adjunct Professor” in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Rick, and his partner Adam Riback, coach Northwestern’s national trial advocacy team, which has won multiple awards.  Rick is an instructor for the Mock Trial Institute at Northwestern University and from 1996 through 1999 Rick was an instructor for the Federal Trial Bar.  Rick also teaches at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA).  Rick was the Co-Chairman of the Trial Techniques Division of the Chicago Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section from 1995 to 1998.

Rick has lectured on a variety of topics related to litigation techniques, police pursuits and civil liability. 

Rick has been voted an Illinois Super Lawyer from 2006 – 2010.  He has been part of the Illinois Leading Lawyer network since 2006, which includes the top 5% of lawyers in Illinois.  He was also selected by the Chicago Law Bulleting/Leading Lawyers Network as one of the “40 Attorneys Under the Age of 40 to Watch.”

He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received his law degree from Kent College of Law in 1986.  Rick is a member of The Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

Upon graduation from law school in 1997, Mr. Schoop (pronounced "Scope") served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Blanche M. Manning of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Upon completion of his clerkship, Mr. Schoop joined a large Chicago-based law firm where he specialized in complex commercial litigation, and employment and civil rights litigation, including lawsuits involving alleged employment and housing discrimination on the basis of race, sex, and age.

In 2003, Mr. Schoop joined Laner, Muchin, Dombrow, Becker, Levin & Tominberg, Ltd. where his practice includes representing employers in employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, employment, civil rights litigation, and non-compete and restrictive covenant litigation brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Mr. Schoop’s reported representative cases include:  Suarez v. Sacred Heart Hospital, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 12132 (7th Cir. May 16, 2007); Kolupa v. Roselle Park District, 438 F.3d 713 (7th Cir. 2006); Lake County Riverboat, L.P. v. Illinois Gaming Board, 730 N.E.2d 524, 313 Ill. App. 3d 943 (2d Dist. 2000). 

Mr. Schoop became a Partner in 2008.

Ellen S. Robbins has been a partner of Sidley Austin since 1999. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois in 1988 with a B.S. in Business Administration, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1991. Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Robbins clerked for the Honorable Charles P. Kocoras of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Ms. Robbins has extensive experience handling complex commercial litigation matters representing both plaintiffs and defendants, including particular experience in the areas of fraud, breach of contract, unfair trade practices, securities fraud, broker-dealer/customer disputes, insurance coverage and intellectual property.

Ms. Robbins actively practices in both state and federal courts throughout the country. She also regularly incorporates alternative dispute resolution into her practice in order to efficiently resolve disputes, and has first-chaired a number of arbitrations and mediations. In addition, Ms. Robbins has been involved in a number of corporate internal investigations.