Illinois Pretrial Practice

About the Authors

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Jennifer Duncan-Brice began her legal career in 1975 as a law clerk in the City of Chicago’s Office of Corporation Counsel. In 1976 she became Assistant Corporation Counsel, working in the Litigation Division and primarily representing the Chicago Police Department and police officers on civil rights actions in federal court. In 1982 she was transferred to the Real Estate Division, handling condemnation cases and representing the Landmark Commission.

In 1985 she was promoted to Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel and was assigned to reorganize the Torts Division. In 1987, she was promoted to Deputy Corporation Counsel.

In 1992 she was elected a judge to the Circuit Court of Cook County, and was assigned generally to the Law Division. Judge Duncan-Brice was assigned to a Motion Call in 1994 and a General Calendar Call in 1996.

James P. Flannery, Jr. became a judge in 1988. He is currently assigned to the Law Division of the Circuit Court, Cook County. He has been assigned to the Law Jury section since 1997. He was previously assigned to the Criminal Division, the Fourth Municipal Division, and the First Municipal Division. Before becoming a judge, he practiced law with the firm of Murphy, Preston and Jaffe, the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, and the Office of the Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago. He received his undergraduate degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall School of Law.

Timothy W. Kelly focuses on personal injury and medical malpractice cases, working out of his own law firm with offices in Bloomington and Chicago.

He has served as Chair of the Civil Practice and Procedure Section Counsel of the Illinois State Bar Association, board member of IICLE.

Mr. Kelly has lectured and written extensively for IICLE and ISBA. He is the author of IICLE's Laying Foundations for Introducing Evidence and Proving Damages in Personal Injury Cases, and is co-editor of IICLE's Illinois Causes of Action.

Kevin G. Owens is shareholder in the Chicago Law firm of Johnson & Bell, Ltd. His practice includes the defense of product liability, construction, and negligence actions, and the litigation of commercial disputes. He has also had experience with residential and commercial loan foreclosures and workouts, construction product defects, and litigation of contract actions at law and equity.

Mr. Owens is a frequent lecturer and panelist at CLE programs, and has spoken on the defenses of slip and fall cases, legal issues confronting private security officers, hotel oriented claims, and medical device litigation.

He has also served on the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association, and has chaired the fall seminar of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel.