On the Bar with the Kane County Bar Association Kane County Bar Association

In the fifth episode of the Life Before Law podcast series, we bring you a special edition, featuring newly-installed 16th Circuit Chief Judge Robert Villa. Host Andrew Whitfield interviews Chief Judge Villa in his first week on the job. They discuss his new responsibilities as Chief Judge and how those responsibilities differ from his previous judgeships. Andrew and Judge Villa also discuss his early law career and private practice experiences that led him to the pivotal decision to become a judge. Judge Villa also lays out his ambitions, plans and goals for his three-year term as Chief Judge to benefit the judicial system in Kane County.


The Circuit Judges of the 16th Judicial Circuit elected Robert K. Villa as Chief Judge effective Monday, December 4th, 2023. Judge Villa is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana (LAS '92) and the DePaul College of Law ('95). From 1995-1998, Judge Villa served in the Illinois Attorney General's Criminal Appeals Division as lead counsel on appeals involving statutory and constitutional issues before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the Supreme and Appellate Courts of Illinois and the United States District Courts of Illinois. After leaving government service, Judge Villa was a litigation partner in the Chicago offices of Dykema Gossett PLLC and in 2007, he founded the Villa Law Firm, LLC in St. Charles, which became Griffin/Villa/Williams LLP in 2011. Judge Villa was appointed to the position of Associate Judge in April, 2013. On December 17, 2018, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Judge Villa to the position of Circuit Judge. He was later elected as Circuit Judge of the Sixteenth Circuit, Third Sub-circuit in November of 2020. He has presided over all manner of civil and criminal cases, recently serving as the Presiding Judge of the Misdemeanor/Traffic Division. In 2021, Judge Villa was assigned to the Civil Law Division where he presided until his Chief Judge term began.

Host Andrew Whitfield interviews Mark Stajdohar, Assistant Kane County State’s Attorney, for the fourth episode of the Life Before Law podcast series. Mark shares his fascinating path to his law career that began with his military service followed by his various jobs at the iconic Chicago heavy-metal club, The Thirsty Whale. After completing his undergrad degree at Illinois State University, Mark attended Duke University Law School, which gave him the opportunity to intern in D.C. and experience the U.S. Supreme Court basketball court. All of that led Mark to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he has served the people of Illinois since 2000, including participating in 20 murder trials.

Mark Stajdohar is an Assistant State's Attorney who has worked
in the criminal division of the Kane County SAO for over 23 years. He is currently assigned to the Major Crimes Unit. Mark grew up in Naperville and studied political science at Illinois State University. He then went on to Duke University School of Law. He lives in Kane County with his wife, his son and his daughter.

In the third episode of the Life Before Law podcast series, host Andrew Whitfield welcomes guest Lori Schmidt, Assistant Kane County State’s Attorney and Executive Director of the Kane County Child Advocacy Center. Lori discusses her career journey from her first job at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and on to the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian. With the influence of a mentor, Lori made the decision to attend law school while working full time. Her experience not only prepared her for managing work and life balance, but also sparked her passion to be a prosecutor.



Lori Schmidt is a an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Kane County State’s Attorneys Office. She has served as a Prosecutor for over 20 years. She is the Executive Director of the Kane County Child Advocacy Center and the Supervisor of the Crimes Against Children Prosecution Unit. Prior to becoming an Assistant Kane County State’s Attorney, she was employed with the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office. She is a member of the Illinois Child Death Review Team. She has previously served as a co-chair of the Kane County Bar Association Criminal Law Committee. She was awarded the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office Prosecutor of the Year Award in 2014. She was previously sworn in as a special prosecutor in DuPage and Kendall Counties in Illinois. She received her J.D. from The John Marshall Law School. 

 

In the second episode of the Life Before Law podcast series, host Andrew Whitfield interviews one of his best friends, Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. They discuss the M.D./J.D. program offered by Southern Illinois University, where they became roommates, and how the M.D./J.D. program set Dr. Vohra on his path to being Illinois’ top doctor. Dr. Vohra reveals many insights and experiences along the way and talks about his commitment to health in the state of Illinois.



Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA, was appointed as the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, effective August 1, 2022, by Governor JB Pritzker. 

Dr. Vohra is a general pediatrician who holds degrees in law and public policy. He is a cross-disciplinary leader in state and national health policy formulation, and his recent focus has been on improving health outcomes in Central and Southern Illinois. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Vohra was the Founding Chair of the Department of Population Science and Policy, a practicing primary care pediatrician, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Public Health, Medical Humanities, and Law at the Southern Illinois University – School of Medicine (SIU-SOM) in Springfield, Illinois, where he also served the State of Illinois as the Interim Chair of the Children’s Mental Health Partnership. 

A graduate of the University of Chicago, where he earned a Master of Arts in public policy, Dr. Vohra completed his medical residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago. He holds a medical doctorate from SIU-SOM; a juris doctorate from SIU School of Law graduating first in his class; and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and science in human culture with honors from Northwestern University. 

Dr. Vohra previously served on the Illinois State Board of Health, the Illinois Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund Steering Committee as well as national committees for the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Medical Association, and on the Board of Trustees for the Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medical Society. 

He has received numerous honors including a United States Fulbright Scholarship in 2009, an American Medical Association Foundation’s Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award in 2014 and was named an Edgar Fellow in 2016 as one of 40 emerging political and policy leaders in Illinois. In 2020, he was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar, chosen by the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Clinton Presidential Center, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation. 

Dr. Vohra resides in Springfield with his wife, Tasnim, and two children. 



Host Andrew Whitfield can be reached at whitfieldandrewg@gmail.com

The music for this series is "We'll Be Here Tomorrow" by the Effigies.

In this “Life Before Law” podcast series debut, host Andrew Whitfield interviews John Kezdy, friend, former boss and former Bureau Chief of the Statewide Grand Jury Bureau at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. Prior to beginning his stellar law career, John and his band, The Effigies, were at the forefront of the Chicago punk rock scene in the early 1980s. In their discussion, John expresses to Andrew his love of the punk rock scene and his experiences touring with the band. John also details his
transition into law and throws in a few of his favorite courthouses in the
state. Tragically, John Kezdy passed away shortly after recording this podcast. That sad reality makes this episode that much more important to all of us at the Kane County Bar Association and we would like to offer this as a tribute to John Kezdy, his legacy and his memory.



John Kezdy graduated from Northwestern University and DePaul College of Law. He became a prosecutor following law school and spent over twenty years at the helm of the Statewide Grand Jury Bureau at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. There, John prosecuted thousands of drug traffickers and firearms traffickers over his esteemed career. He was a frequent lecturer to law enforcement and was well known for his willingness to take on the tough cases. His career was filled with
accolades from numerous local, state and federal law enforcement partners. He was constantly seeking to improve the law and to hold bad actors accountable.  



Last year, John was in the process of retiring when he and his wife were both shot in the Highland Park mass shooting on the 4th of July. John did not let his injuries deter his efforts to continue to serve the residents of Illinois. Though retired, he returned to serve as a trusted adviser to the State-Wide Grand Jury team. John was an avid cyclist often competing in road races throughout the Midwest. He was a brilliant and passionate man who led a full life. 



About the Host

Andrew G. Whitfield is the Immediate Past President of the Kane County Bar Association. Andrew is an Assistant Attorney General at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, where he is the Deputy Chief of the Statewide Grand Jury Bureau. In that capacity, Andrew investigates and prosecutes multi-county drug trafficking, gunrunning, and money laundering offenses that are brought through various federal, state, and local agencies. Andrew has prosecuted cases in the following counties: Boone, Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, Lee, Whiteside, and Will.



Andrew was also an Assistant State’s Attorney in Kane County for eleven years. Andrew is a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee for Counties Outside Cook and the Corrections and Sentencing
Committee, the Prosecutor Bar Association, and has given several presentations regarding topics such as drug-induced homicide, Fourth Amendment search and seizure issues, jury instructions, and other criminal law related topics to other prosecutors and law enforcement during his time at the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office and Illinois Attorney General’s Office.



Andrew can be reached at whitfieldandrewg@gmail.com



The music for this series is "We'll Be Here Tomorrow" by the Effigies.

In this episode of On the Bar, Chrissie chats with KCBA member and former president Carolyn Jansons about her family law background and meeting her real-life hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the United States Supreme Court. Carolyn shares her inspiring encounter and applies it to her law career and success as a trailblazing woman in law who should never be underestimated.

Carolyn D. Jansons is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and a 2001 graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law, magna cum laude.  She graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law and was a member of the Law Review.  Carolyn is a partner at Drendel & Jansons Law Group, the same firm in which she began her career in 2001.  Carolyn is an active member of the Kane County Bar Association having served on its board of directors and eventually elected Secretary/Treasurer.  Carolyn ascended through the ranks and was the KCBA President in 2017-2018.  Carolyn continues to be an active member of the Family Law Committee and focuses her practice on family law.

Carolyn grew up in Oswego, Illinois and actively practices in Kendall County as well.  She currently lives in Elburn with her husband, Pete, and their two children. Carolyn enjoys being involved in her community and has provided volunteer service to several boards and organizations including Fox Valley Hands of Hope and local Scout Troop 7 in Elburn.  In her spare time (what is that?) Carolyn enjoys reading, 80’s music and cooking.