Hoffman named circuit judge:

Lake County Associate Judge Mitchell L. Hoffman as been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court as circuit judge to fill the position held by Fred Foreman, who is retiring Jan. 20. The appointment is effective Feb. 3 and runs until Dec. 5, 2016. Hoffman was appointed in 2001 and has handled traffic, DUI, misdemeanor and civil matters. Since 2006, he has been assigned to the chancery court hearing civil cases involving commercial litigation, mechanic’s liens and mortgage foreclosures. He is considered an expert in the foreclosure process and was one of the principals in the implementation of the Lake County circuit court’s foreclosure mediation program, which began this past December. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1984 and was in private practice with a Chicago firm until being hired in 1988 by the civil division of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office where he practiced environmental enforcement and land use law.