Cook judicial candidates spar over qualifications
Republican candidates have raised the volume in a typically quiet race in a Cook County judicial subcircuit.
Kevin Michael O'Donnell, of Park Ridge, and Gary W. Seyring, of Schaumburg, are competing for a vacancy in the 13th Subcircuit, which includes parts of Arlington Heights, Barrington, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Schaumburg and Streamwood.
Seyring, who was rated as recommended or qualified by the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Council of Lawyers, among others, is being criticized by O'Donnell on his website. O'Donnell charges his opponent "does not go to court and has no trial experience," which Seyring disputes.
O'Donnell also said he was excluded from endorsement sessions where the ISBA and CBA found him not qualified or not recommended. The CCL found him qualified.
O'Donnell, whose practice includes estate planning, probate, litigation, corporate work and real estate, calls Seyring "an unknown commodity as a lawyer" and on his website refers to his opponent as an accountant who has been "working his political connections."
Seyring, a solo practitioner focusing on domestic relations, real estate, estate planning, tax planning and business law, disputes that claim, citing his bar association recommendations.
"They're not going to find a lawyer qualified who doesn't go to court," he said. "I am in court regularly. I am a practicing attorney as well as a CPA."
Seyring's website lists endorsements from state Sen. Matt Murphy, Cook County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Del Mar and Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Dan Patlak, among others. They are the result, Seyring says, of many years spent working to elect Republicans as a member of Schaumburg Township Republicans and other organizations.
"I've been endorsed and supported by Republican officials who know me personally and trust me," said Seyring, who lost a 2014 judicial bid and said he made it known he intended to run again.
O'Donnell said he was excluded from the Republicans' vetting process and did not receive an invitation to the endorsement session.
"We don't send out invitations," Schaumburg Township Republican committeeman Ryan Higgins said of his organization's endorsement session Jan. 25 in Roselle. The organization announced the session at its January meeting and published the information on its website, Higgins said.
"Almost every candidate appearing on the ballot in Schaumburg Township either personally attended or sent a representative to the endorsement session, but Mr. O'Donnell did not," Higgins said via email.
"I never heard from Kevin O'Donnell," Higgins said in a phone interview. "He was not on our email list until he signed in on the website the morning of Jan. 25, at 9:47 a.m. Our endorsement session was that night."
In an email, O'Donnell questioned a $5,000 contribution to the Seyring campaign from the Illinois Liberty PAC, calling it "unheard of" in a judicial subcircuit election. Seyring said he follows judicial campaign mandates and does not participate in campaign fundraising or solicit donations.
"I appreciate the support of every legitimate group or individual who feels I'm worthy of their support," he said.
The Alliance of Bar Associations, made up of 12 smaller bar associations, also endorsed in the 13th Subcircuit.
Among the members of the Alliance of Bar Associations, the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois found O'Donnell qualified. The Asian-American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, Cook County Bar Association, Decalogue Society of Lawyers, Hellenic Bar Association, the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois gave O'Donnell a not recommended rating.
Seyring received qualified ratings from the Asian-American Bar Association of Greater Chicago, Black Women's Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago, Cook County Bar Association, Decalogue Society of Lawyers, Hellenic Bar Association, Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. The Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago gave Seyring a not recommended rating.