“ I am honored that you asked me to write a short testimonial marking the long and amazing career of Tom. He has received so many of these in his time as a lawyer, mentor, philanthropist and law firm builder that I hope my attempt is not redundant. Like most young trial lawyers in forma- tion I first encountered Tom watching him represent clients in jury trials in the Daley Center. At a very young age, he was able to go toe- to-toe in the courtroom with the more “mature” lawyers of the 1970’s and 1980’s because he was always well prepared. Nothing they did to throw him off his game seemed to affect the way he went about trying his case. He did not lose sight of what was important – ensuring that his client received the best possible representation. We got to know one another when he began to try cases in front of me in the early 2000’s. He was professional in his dealings with his opposing counsel, even when opposing counsel tried to draw him into fights in front of the jury. He did not take the bait because he knew that would not be in his, and his client’s, best interest. Due to the many cases he had presented to a jury, he came to understand that he was better when he didn’t respond unpro- fessionally. He displayed a level of calm- ness, even when things may not have been going as planned, that almost all of his colleagues at the bar never learned to display. Tom is one of the top trial lawyers in the country but that is not all that he has done for the profession. He has been a bar leader as CBA President, law firm builder, mentor to a wide variety of lawyers and the founder/ funder of a group of attorneys in the Lawyers Lend a Hand program that has worked for years in Engelwood tutor- ing grammar school students. These are just some of the marvelous things Tom has done. It is time to give this award to one of the legal giants of the past three generations – Tom Demetrio.”
considers what the appellate court might think if an appeal is filed after the initial verdict. As Demetrio says, he never wants to make a mistake while trying a case that will result in a retrial. “You want to protect the record,” he said. “That is where preparation comes in again. You want to be so prepared that you won’t make a mistake that could come back to hurt you later.” Even while building such a successful career, Demetrio hasn’t been shy about helping his community. Demetrio is especially interested in the positive value of mentors. As he says, he would never have enjoyed such a successful career if it weren’t for the help of the skilled lawyers and judges who took the time to teach him about the intricacies of building a legal career. That’s why Demetrio believes that everyone needs to find the right mentors. To help with this, Demetrio helped create the Thomas A. Demetrio Award of Excellence, which supports the efforts of top tutoring and mentoring programs in Chicago communities.
Tom Demetrio, Toinette Gunn, PEAK Executive Director (center), and Genita Robinson, Lend-A-Hand Executive Director (right)
Demetrio also played a key role in inspiring and guiding the Chicago Bar As- sociation and Chicago Bar Foundation when they created the Lawyers Lend- A-Hand to Youth program, a program that fosters mentorship relationships. In addition to the annual Demetrio Award, the Lend-A-Hand to Youth Program has granted more than $1.6 million to mentoring programs for underprivileged youths in the Chicago area. “In my case, mentoring was critical,” Demetrio said. “I’ve told countless new lawyers that their first job is their most important job. That is where you learn habits. Osmosis works. Who you will be following around and observing is criti- cal. It was for me. Phil Corboy himself was certainly a great role model.” As for the future? Demetrio says that he looks forward to continuing to fight for justice for his clients, something he plans on doing until the job is no longer fun. Fortunately, Demetrio says, he’s still passionate about the law and enjoys the work necessary to win cases. “This is still a career that I love,” Demetrio said. “I don’t see that changing any- time soon.”
Hon. Thomas L. Hogan (Ret.)
JURY VERDICT REPORTER • 2023 ANNUAL TRIAL LAWYER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 63
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