| Judge Susan F. Zwick Judge Susan F. Zwick was elected to the bench in 1992. In her eighteen years of judicial service, she has presided over matters in Domestic Relations, Paternity/Child Support Enforcement, Complex Litigation and Mediation. From July, 2002 through January, 2007 Judge Zwick was assigned to Motion Calendar C in the Law Division. The motion calendars are high volume courtrooms designed to resolve all pre-trial litigation as well as case management issues. As a motion judge, Judge Zwick was called upon to rule on day-to-day discovery issues as well as legal and jurisdictional disputes in a multitude of law division cases. In September 2001 through July of 2002, and currently, since January 2007, she has been assigned to the Law Jury Division. As a trial judge, Judge Zwick has presided over numerous jury trials, including multi-party litigation, products liability, environmental and toxic tort, actions for medical and legal malpractice, personal injury, false arrest and imprisonment, breach of contract and construction negligence cases. In addition to presiding over jury trials, judges are assigned pretrial work to assist getting cases to trial and managing complex or multi- issue litigation. The goal is to insure that litigants have continued access to the courts, and that cases are resolved timely. Judge Zwick is committed to continuing education for law students, lawyers, judges and the public. Since 1994 she has participated in both the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Association Education Series as a presenter/ speaker on topics that include Civil Torts Practice, Criminal / Civil Evidence, Civil Procedure, Trial Advocacy and Ethics. Judge Zwick has been a faculty member with the Administrative Offices of the Illinois Courts/Judicial Education, and has taught both Torts, Civil Procedure, Criminal and Civil Evidence to judges throughout Illinois. She currently serves as a member of the New Judge Faculty. Judge Zwick was appointed as a faculty member to the New Judge Seminar in 2006, and yearly teaches Judicial Ethics to those newly-appointed to the bench. Since 2005, Judge Zwick has been a visiting professor in Trial Advocacy at the University of Notre Dame, and a presenter at the Illinois Defense Council and National Business Institute. For the past five years, Judge Zwick has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, and currently serves as a Judicial Mentor for new judges. This includes working with an individual judge throu gh the first year on the bench and assisting in the transition from advocate to the judiciary, as well as assisting the judge in the transfer of assignments. Judge Zwick is also active in preventative justice, and is committed to educating both students and parents about ethics and law. As a member of St. Giles Parish, she has taught Religious Education to Junior High and High School students since 1991. Judge Zwick is frequently asked to lecture on legal ethics within community and high school settings. One of the more successful programs entitled “Seven Reasons to Leave the Party” is aimed educating high school students and preventing them from engaging in risky or detrimental behavior. Judge Zwick is a trained presenter and participant in this program. Judge Zwick has been found qualified for retention by all bar associations. |
