After receiving my law degree I accepted the opportunity to work as a Senate Democratic Staffer for the Illinois State Senate Democratic Caucus under the leadership of Senator Emil Jones. In addition to serving as legal counsel to the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus, I worked with the legal and advocacy community to rewrite and reform the systems for responding to juvenile offenders in the state of Illinois.  This initiative, which involved working closely with then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama, led to the adoption of a Balanced and Restorative Justice model for juvenile justice. I also drafted legislation to increase criminal penalties for people who commit hate crimes and to establish the first teen court in Illinois.   I wrote two pamphlets in 1994 and 1998 explaining proposed changes in the Illinois Constitution. These pamphlets were ultimately distributed to all voters in Illinois.

Since 1998 I have had the privilege of serving as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County.  During these years I have worked in many areas including the Child Enforcement Division, the Preliminary Hearing Division, and the Child Advocacy Division.  In the Juvenile Delinquency Division I have served as a lead prosecutor in cases that involved minors who had committed crimes at the misdemeanor or felony level.   Over the past seven years I have devoted my time and energies to prosecuting cases in the the Child Protection Division where I am recognized as a Family Law Specialist.  In that capacity I supervise the junior attorneys in the courtroom and deal with the most complex cases of abused or neglected children. The goal of these proceedings is to assure that children are safe, in their homes where possible, or in substitute care if necessary.

Since November of 1992 I have been licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois and, since December 1992, the federal district court for the Northern District of Illinois. I am an active member of the Chicago Bar Association, where I served as the Chairman of the Juvenile Law Committee from 2009 until 2010, and am also a member of the Decalogue Society. I also teach an advanced trial education seminar for the Child Law Clinic at Loyola Law School. 

As an attorney for nearly twenty years, I have tried a range of cases from over four-hundred bench trials and a murder case involving the death of a child. I have been fighting for justice for and protection of children throughout my twenty year career as an attorney. As a judge I will continue to champion the rights of children and families so that their voices will be heard.