Judge Neil H. Cohen honored at Northwest Suburban Bar Association Judges' Night

The Honorable Neil H. Cohen was honored at The Northwest Suburban Bar Association Judges' Night on May 5, 2016 for his compassion, well-reasoned decisions and wide-ranging knowledge. Two hundred attorneys and Cook County Appellate and Circuit Court judges were present at Café Le Cave in Des Plaines, where Judge Cohen received the Northwest Suburban Bar Association's 2016 Public Service Award.

"Judges perform public service every day in their courtrooms, but we are honoring someone whose contributions outside the courtroom are exemplary as well," said Mimi Cooper, Chair of the NWSBA Award's Committee.

Judge Cohen received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami, and practiced law for over thirty years as a noted criminal trial and appellate advocate, both as a prosecutor and a private practice attorney. In 2009, Judge Cohen was appointed as an associate judge in the Chancery division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. In addition to dedicating his life to the practice of law and serving on the bench, Judge Cohen has taught criminal law and procedure, advance trial advocacy and lectured on fourth amendment issues as an Adjunct Professor at the Chicago-Kent School of Law. Judge Cohen was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as a member on the Executive Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee and the Criminal Law and Probation Committee for the Illinois Judicial Conference.

Judge Cohen thanked his mentors in public service that walked the path before him, as well as his family. He also thanked those that taught him, including Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, and the Hon. Moshe Jacobius, Presiding Judge, Chancery Division, Daily Center.

"Public service is not just a way of life, it is way to fully live life," said Cohen.

Hon. Moshe Jacobius commented on Judge Cohen's award.

"Judge Neil Cohen is an exceptional judge, but more importantly, he is a compassionate and caring human being. His mind is facile, original and trenchant and there is no one quicker at getting to the main point and appreciating all of the nuances involved in a legal dispute," said Jacobius. "His hallmark is his deep caring about the law and the people affected by it. He always follows his conscience and lives by the Judeo principles he learned early on in life."

Judge Cohen also thanked the Northwest Suburban Association for its' tireless work to break the barriers of ignorance and to build bridges of cooperation and respect between the community and the legal profession.

"From its' inception, the NWSBA has led the vanguard in efforts to increase citizen understanding of the legal system and to guarantee access to high quality justice for all people," said Cohen.

Co-Chairs of this year's Judges' Night were Jay Andrew, Natasha Adler, Miriam Cooper and Robert Kaplan.

DeWald Law Group, PC was the corporate sponsor for this event, while member sponsors included Drost, Gilbert, Andrew & Apicella, LLC; Law Offices of R.F. Wittmeyer, Ltd and Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC.