• Editor’s Note: Rick Turner is the winner of the Kane County Bar Association’s Community Service Award. An earlier version of this article incorrectly named Richard L. Williams, Jr. as the winner of that award.

Kane County’s Outstanding New Lawyer of the Year is Lindsay Hatzis of the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, one of three major award recipients at last month’s Kane County Bar Association annual dinner and awards ceremony held at Acquaviva Winery in Maple Park.

Hatzis became involved in the Kane Bar Association as a law student serving as the NIU College of Law representative on the Board of Managers. She has been active in the Kane County Bar, serving several committees and last year was elected as a director for the Board of Managers.

Hatzis has served as an editor for the Bar Briefs, the KCBA’s monthly magazine publication, since 2011 and will serve as the editor in chief for the upcoming year. In addition to donating countless hours to the KCBA, Hatzis contributes to the legal community by volunteering for several mock trials and also serves in the NIU College of Law Mentoring Program.

The Outstanding New Lawyer of the Year Award is presented to an attorney who is in his or her first eight years of practice and who has shown commitment to the Bar Association through committee involvement and other contributions to the association and/or legal profession. The recipient is a well-rounded individual who has demonstrated a high level of professional development for this early stage of his or her career.

Richard Turner Wins Community Service Award

The Bar Assoication’s Community Service Award was presented to Richard Turner of Turner & Sackett, LLC, Sycamore and Geneva.

Richard Turner is winner of the KCBA’s Community Service Award.

The Community Service Award is given annually by the bar association to a mem­ber who has demonstrated a broad based involvement in the community and is an active member of the legal profession. The honorees have shown a firm commitment for working toward a better government and fostering civic improvements. They have impeccable character, a strong sense of family, and are held in high regard by their peers.

Turner was nominated by his law partner, Alice Sackett, and she presented the award to Turner for his service to the Bar Association and to the community. He has more than 30 years of experience representing injured persons and their families in wrongful death, medical malpractice, serious injuries and workers’ compensation claims.

Before becoming a lawyer, Turner was a special-education teacher. He donates his time and his money generously both in the community where he lives and in the legal community, and his community involvement has included serving dozens of boards, including co-chair for Prairie State Legal Services Fundraising Campaign.

Turner’s service to the legal community is equally impressive, working on and chairing committees for the Kane County Bar Association, the DeKalb County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.

Turner is married to Anita, and they enjoy spending time together and traveling with their family. In his spare time, Turner likes running, biking, golfing and socializing with his vast network of friends.

“Rick’s generous, fun loving nature has brought him many long standing friendships both professionally and socially,” the Bar Association news release said. “Rick is dedicated to his family, his clients, his law practice and his community, and he is well respected in every arena of his life.”

AID Wins The Liberty Bell Award

The Association for Individual Development is the winner of the KCBA’s Liberty Bell Award.

The Liberty Bell Award, a nationally recognized award, is bestowed on a non-attorney individual or community organization who has promoted a better understanding of the law, encouraged a greater respect for the law and the courts, who stimulates a sense of civic responsibility, and who contributes to good government within the community.

Patrick M. Flaherty (Kinnally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur PC, Aurora) nominated and presented the award to Lynn O’Shea and the Association for Individual Development, noting that few people and organizations have done more for so long to promote social justice in Kane County. Both have been tireless advocates for people with developmental disabilities and people with mental illness, populations largely relegated to the margins and shadows of mainstream society.

“The KCBA is pleased to bestow the Liberty Bell Award as our salute to your years of advocacy and service,” the organization said in a news release.

Organized in Aurora in 1961 by parents of eight special-needs children, AID has grown into one of the largest and most respected organizations in the state dedicated to helping people with developmental and mental health challenges. AID now serves more than 5,400 in the Fox Valley through housing, health care, employment, community support and crisis intervention.

It operates more than 40 housing facilities, seven victim services centers, five day programs and four mental health clinics. Education programs in Illinois take care of children with special needs through age 21. AID takes care of them for the rest of their lives.

Lynn O’Shea has led AID as its president and CEO for the past 18 years. She is recognized throughout the state as one of the most knowledgeable and effective advocates for people with disabilities and mental health challenges.

“Understanding and accessing the complex web of federal, state, local and private resources is essential to successful advocacy in this field, and there are few better than Lynn O’Shea,” the organization said. “Lynn is also acknowledged for her management expertise in successfully navigating a large organization through the political and economic storms that so directly and uniquely impact social service providers. AID is where it is today because of the intelligence, vision, leadership and compassion of Lynn O’Shea and the talented staff she has assembled.”

Other Honorees

Awards were also presented to KCBA Committee Chairs and to attorneys for their years of practice. Honorees were Robert P. Carlson, Edgar (Ted) K. Collison, III, Daniel Kramer, Michael J. Rooney, Kenneth C. Shepro, Richard C. Slocum and Peter R. Vucha who received plaques recognizing their individual forty years of practice. Recognized for forty-five years of practice were John F. Early, Bruce L. Goldsmith, Lee A. Marinaccio, Thomas L. Murphy, and Benedict Schwarz, II.

Fifty years of practice awards were presented to Michael P. Edgerton, William C. Gifford, and Fred M. Morelli, Jr. Gilbert (Gib) X. Drendel, Jr. and the Honorable Richard J. Larson were recognized for fifty-five years of practice. Receiving awards for sixty and sixty-five years of practice, respectively were Robert L. Gorecki and Howard E. Smith, Jr.

SOURCE: Kane County Bar Association news release