PRESS RELEASE

CORBOY TO BE INSTALLED AS PRESIDENT OF ITLA

PHILIP HARNETT CORBOY, JR., of Corboy & Demetrio, in Chicago, will be installed as the 55th President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) on Friday, June 6, 2008, at its annual convention.  Corboy, 57, obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1973 from Villanova University and his Juris Doctor in 1977 from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.

Mr. Corboy was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1978 and began his legal career in a small criminal defense firm before joining the criminal division of the Cook County State's Attorney's office that same year.  He joined Corboy & Demetrio as an associate in 1985 and became a partner in 1991.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the President's Club of DePaul University and is a member of DePaul's College of Law Dean's Advisory Council.

He was elected to the Board of Managers of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, served as Illinois State delegate to the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) and served on ATLA's National Board of Governors from 2002 to 2005. He was also elected to the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association in 1994. In 2002, he was inducted into the invitation-only American College of Trial Lawyers, the country's pre-eminent organization of trial lawyers that limits its membership to those trial lawyers who are outstanding and considered the best in their state. He is also listed in "The Best Lawyers in America," an invitation-only, peer-selected publication. He has been named one of the top 5% of all Illinois attorneys by the Leading Lawyers Network and has been recognized as "Super Lawyer," an honor given to only the top 5% of all lawyers in Illinois.

"I'm honored to become the 55th President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.  From the time I started working as a lawyer in the Cook County States Attorneys' Office in 1978, and continuing with my practice as a plaintiff's attorney, I've fought hard to protect the rights of the citizens in this state.  As President of ITLA, I'll have the opportunity to address those rights as the representative of the 2,000-plus plaintiff's trial attorneys here in Illinois." 

"The rights of each and every citizen, not just in Illinois but across the nation, continue to be under attack by those who threaten to limit access to the courthouse doors.  We need to maintain our vigilance for the protection of all our clients and citizens.  On behalf of our membership and all of our clients, I hope to help maintain and protect those rights."

Corboy will have a busy year.  In addition to maintaining a very active practice in Chicago, he is also the President of the Board of Directors of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, the Midwest's largest provider of legal services to the poor, elderly and disabled.