Vested Interest June/July 2024

To my Fellow Members of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association,

It was an absolute honor to stand before so many of you a few weeks ago and officially become the 71st President of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. I have very big shoes to fill, taking the helm from the amazing Kathy Byrne for whom I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work closely with on the Executive Committee for the past several years. 

For those of you who do not know me or were not in attendance at the installation, I am a downstate delegate to the Board of Managers, meaning South of I-80, and a St. Louis Blues fan, not a Blackhawks fan, albeit somehow Connor Bedard gear has made it into my home courtesy of my 9-year-old son. I am the Managing Partner of The Gori Law Firm with headquarters in Edwardsville, IL, and offices nationwide. I have been a member of ITLA for almost as long as I’ve practiced law and a member of the ITLA Executive Committee for the last decade. 

I have been extremely lucky to literally grow up in this organization and with that comes countless lessons learned, but I want to focus on two themes that have consistently stuck out during my tenure with ITLA—1) Keep Showing Up and 2) Never Forget Why We Do What We Do.  

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