SHELLEY BETHUNE
AGE 38
FIRM Illinois Courts Commission
LAW SCHOOL Loyola University Chicago School of Law
AREA(S) OF PRACTICE Litigation, government law
2024 ILLINOIS ATTORNEYS TO WATCH
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S helley Bethune played a major role in the 2022 overturning of the Shakman Consent Decree, a decree originally enacted in 1972 to prohibit the hiring or firing of Illinois government employ- ees for political reasons. The vacation of the decree is considered one of the most important legal moments in Illinois' recent history. Bethune served as co-counsel for the Cook County Clerk's office in the Shakman litigation, and she used her outstanding writing skills to advance the Clerk’s position. She and other lit- igators argued that Shakman had become antiquated and was an abuse of the system that primarily served to enrich attorneys rather than help the public. Adam Vaught, partner at Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres, rec- ognized Bethune's skills and asked her to help him defend the County Clerk in the Shakman litigation. "The case had its own unique procedures, precedents and customs, yet Shelley navigated it as though she had been work- ing on the case for decades. Her work was significant in helping end the 50-year-old case," Vaught said. "The maturity with which she handled the Shakman litigation cannot be overstated," said Travis Richardson of the Office of the Cook County Clerk. "She is a respected legal ethics specialist.” Indeed, the Shakman litigation is just one example of Bethune's impact during a thriving legal career. Today, she serves as the inaugural executive director and general counsel of the Illinois Courts Commission, a state agency that adjudicates com- plaints alleging judicial misconduct. As the first employee of the Commission, Bethune was in the unique position of building the office from the ground up, with no predecessor or rule book to
She is a respected legal ethics specialist. ”
follow. But despite this, Bethune has risen to the challenge and, among other things, has launched the Commission’s first web- site, which now houses all the Commission’s orders from past cases. This alone has made the work of the Commission much more transparent and accessible to the public, Bethune started her career as a litigator at the Illinois Attor- ney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. There, she inves- tigated hundreds of charges of attorney misconduct and litigat- ed nearly all phases of those matters that were prosecuted. She then joined a private law firm and quickly established herself as a litigator with skills and insight. She defended profes- sionals in a range of liability issues, including legal malpractice and disciplinary matters, and counseled lawyers on various risk management issues Over the years, Bethune has also found time to give back to her community and profession. She has been an active lecturer and has participated in numerous forums, panels and seminars on topics relating to attorney ethics and the rules of profession- al conduct. Most recently, she has devoted time to help educate the public and the legal profession on changes to the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct.
40 Under Forty 2024
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CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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