The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is pleased to announce that the Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Akash Vyas, Assistant Chief Counsel with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to serve as a Commissioner on the Commission on Professionalism.
The Illinois Supreme Court has also reappointed John Kim, Associate General Counsel for Edward Jones in Bloomington, Ill., as Commission Chair.
Additionally, Judge Bonita Coleman, a judge in the First Judicial Subcircuit of Cook County; John F. Kennedy, a Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP in Chicago; and Kurt E. Reitz, a Partner at Thompson Coburn LLP in Belleville, Ill., have been reappointed as Commissioners.
“We are thrilled to welcome Akash to the Commission and admire his unique perspective on legal professionalism gained during his career at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and in the federal government,” said John Kim, Chair of the Commission on Professionalism. “I am also grateful for the continued service of John F. Kennedy and Kurt E. Reitz, whose dedication to the Commission has been vital in our ability to advance our mission. Finally, I am honored to be reappointed as Commission Chair and humbled by the trust placed in me by the Court. I look forward to continuing our important work alongside my fellow Commissioners and the Commission staff.”
Vyas is an Assistant Chief Counsel with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, specializing in federal litigation related to counterterrorism, asylum, United Nations Convention Against Torture claims, and removal proceedings involving human traffickers, terrorists, and national security threats.
Previously, Vyas served as an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where he served for over 16 years in numerous assignments. He has litigated hundreds of motions and trials involving murder, firearms, and fraud.
In his last role with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Vyas served as a First Chair in the Special Prosecutions Bureau, where he managed and litigated complex long-term investigations involving violent crimes, money laundering, gunrunning, and criminal drug conspiracies.
Vyas currently serves as a Director of the South Asian Bar Association of Chicago. He received a J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and a B.S. from Purdue University.
“I am honored to have been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Commission on Professionalism and look forward to supporting its mission of fostering civility and integrity in the Illinois legal profession,” said Vyas. “I have seen firsthand the importance of professionalism in upholding justice and strengthening public trust in the legal system. I look forward to working alongside my fellow Commissioners to promote these values to lawyers and judges across Illinois.”
About the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
The Illinois Supreme Court established the Commission on Professionalism under Supreme Court Rule 799 to promote integrity, professionalism, and civility among the lawyers and judges of Illinois, to foster a commitment to the elimination of bias and divisiveness within the legal and judicial systems, and to ensure those systems provide equitable, effective, and efficient resolution of problems for the people of Illinois.
The Commission achieves this mission through professional responsibility CLE, lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring, legal professionalism programming, educational resources, robust communications platforms, and more. To learn more, visit 2Civility.org and follow us on LinkedIn.
Press Contact
Laura Bagby, Communications Director
312-363-6209
laura.bagby@2civility.org
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