A tall order for new leader

David Hall knows being a judge is no easy job.

As a Lake County circuit judge, Hall is a stern-faced, black-robed figure making life-changing decisions about right and wrong.

So, when he needs a break, you may find him pounding on a keyboard and singing backup in Doc Schneider's Band, a rock cover band that performs in the county. Or maybe he'll head out on the open road and blast down the pavement on his motorcycle.

"There is a lot of conflict in court cases; finding solutions can be difficult," said Hall, a third-generation Waukegan lawyer. "But at the end of the day, I know of nothing better than to sit down and play some rock 'n' roll or taking the bike out for a drive."

However, those leisure activities may find themselves on the back burner starting Dec. 3 when he steps up to become chief judge of a court system that saw more than 25,000 new case filings in 2006. That figure is up from 18,600 in 2001.

Hall, who was appointed an associate judge in 1989 and elected circuit judge in 2000 and 2006, will find his plate full of challenges when he takes over from current Chief Circuit Judge Christopher Starck.

Topping the to-do list is dealing with the county's exploding population and the strain it has put on the legal system.

Population growth affects the courts in several ways -- new cases being filed means old ones must be resolved, people awaiting trial on criminal charges strain jail capacity, dollars have to be found for construction of new courtrooms and paperwork needs to be processed more efficiently.

When Hall takes the top job, he will oversee several plans, many of which are in the works, to address those issues.

One involves the case management system used in the civil division for many years that is spreading across the court landscape. Its goal is to provide a more orderly and swift path to justice.

Already in place in the misdemeanor and DUI courtrooms, Hall says, expanding it into the felony division is the next big step.

"With case management, the judges are more involved in moving the cases along," he said. "The meetings between the parties are an effort to find an agreed resolution, and if no resolution can be found, then we move more quickly to trial."

That's never been more important than it is today.

The county jail routinely is filled beyond capacity with prisoners, more than 80 percent of whom are waiting for a verdict.

Hall said a new system of tracking continuances will be instituted in the felony courtrooms. It will record the reason a case is delayed.

Such a system could help target areas in need of repair to speed the process.

"If we can find out why cases are not moving forward, then we will be able to sit down and figure out a way to solve that problem," Hall said.

A strong believer in the "big tent" approach to problem solving, he said he wants to make sure everyone with an idea gets a seat at the table where the problems are being discussed.

"We want to make sure that everyone -- the county, the state's attorney's office, the bar association and our social service agencies -- is involved in coming up with a workable solution to the challenges we face," he said.

There also will be the continuing dialogue with county officials concerning adding courtrooms to the courthouse in downtown Waukegan. That's a crucial consideration now that the county has three more judges than it has courtrooms.

State's Attorney Michael Waller said the communal approach to problem solving is the idea behind the new computer information system expected to come on line during Hall's tenure.

Now being phased in, Waller said, the integrated criminal justice information system will allow the computers of all the players in a criminal case to share information, and will greatly reduce duplication of paperwork.

"The integrated information system is something we are making good progress on, and I expect that progress to continue under Judge Hall's administration," Waller said. "I believe he will be able to keep us on track and that we will see a more efficient system when it is complete."

Hall said the decisions made during his tenure must be correct ones, because there is little room for error.

"I fully appreciate that we are in tough economic times and county government can't do everything it wants to do," he said. "I will need to be creative, and with the help of our court administration staff, accurately advise the county board as to the court's needs for the coming quarter century."