Lake Co. attorney helping families in need

Waukegan attorney Elliot Pinsel knows times are tough, but hopes you can help him make the holidays brighter for the less fortunate.

Pinsel's 17th annual gift drive is seeking to deliver a little Christmas cheer for up to 500 people who are very often on their own.

Pinsel has paper "ornaments" at the offices of Daniels, Long and Pinsel at 19 N. County St., each with the name of a recipient and a gift suggestion written on them.

Volunteers are asked to pick up one or more of the ornaments, buy the gifts, wrap and tag them and bring them to the office no later than Dec. 17.

The gifts, and whatever cash donations are made, will be distributed through the state Department of Children and Family Services, Catholic Charities, the Ann Kiley Center, Staben House and Center, Kids Hope United and the Mary Pat Maddox home.

For more information, call (847) 623-5900 or email Epinsel@DLPlawyers.com.

Director retiring:

Frank Kuzmickus retired as the director of the adult probation department Dec. 4 after 35 years of service.

Starting as a probation officer, the Waukegan High School alum worked his way through the ranks and gathered numerous honors along the way.

Perhaps his crowning achievement was the selection of Lake County as the demonstration project for the "evidence based practices" program by the Administrative Offices of Illinois Courts and the National Institute of Corrections.

The program focuses on the development of tools to assess treatment and supervision techniques that are most successful in reducing recidivism in offenders.

"I consider it a great honor to have worked in the Lake County court system," Kuzmickus said. "The best part of my career has been helping build the probation field into a true profession that has meaningful impact."

New office:

The Lake County Bar Association has moved to a new, larger office at the corner of Grand Avenue and County Street, one block north of the courthouse.

The new office features greatly expanded meeting space for gatherings of up to 40 people, and has already been put to use for a seminar on immigration law and training in guardianship issues.

Members between court appearances can take advantage of a small office center in the building that has a computer and printer, with wireless Internet access coming soon.