News and Notes
Limitation of Fields of Practice
Under the Rules of Professional Conduct adopted by the Supreme Court of Illinois, a lawyer or law firm may designate certain fields or areas of the law in which the lawyer or firm concentrates or limits the practice of law. The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law, nor does it recognize certifications of expertise in any phase of the practice of law. None of the memberships, awards, or recognitions mentioned herein should be understood as a requirement for the practice of law in Illinois or as a certification of special expertise recognized by the Illinois Supreme Court. See Ill. Sup. Court Rule of Professional Conduct 7.4.
Courthouse, Illinois Appellate Court, Mt. Vernon
The magnificent historic building shown on our home page, located at 14th and Main Streets in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, is the courthouse of the Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District. Prof. Kionka has often represented clients and argued cases in this court. The building's first unit was completed in 1857, when it served as the courthouse for the Southern Division of the Illinois Supreme Court. Historians believe that one case heard there was State of Illinois vs. Illinois Central Railroad Co., reported in 27 Ill. 64 (1861), in which Abraham Lincoln represented the railroad, and George B. McClellan, then a vice-president of the railroad (and later one of Lincoln’s Civil War generals) had been a trial witness. The building is on the register of historic buildings worthy of careful preservation in the Library of Congress.
ALA Award
Prof. Kionka was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Fifth District Roundtable Luncheon of the Appellate Lawyers Association held in Collinsville, Illinois on March 21, 2010. He was presented with a plaque which reads: “Appellate Lawyers Association Honors Edward J. Kionka, Professor Emeritus, Southern Illinois University School of Law, In Appreciation for Forty Years of Outstanding Appellate Advocacy Before the Illinois Appellate Courts and Illinois Supreme Court and the United States Courts of Appeals, and for his Service as President of the Appellate Lawyers Association and as Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Presented at the Fifth District Luncheon and Judicial Roundtable, May 21, 2010.” The presenters included Presiding Justice Richard P. Goldenhersh of the Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District; Louis E. Costa, retired Clerk of the Fifth District; and William P. Hardy, an officer of the Appellate Lawyers Association. Both Costa and Hardy are former students of Prof. Kionka.