Millennium Magazine_4th Ed

302 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine A n assistant public defender for the Cook County Public Defenders in Chicago for 34 years, Ronald J. Szymanski retired in 2012 after experiencing a fulfilling and fruitful career in law. Among his notable achievements, he is most renowned for being the attorney for Ronald Kitchen v. Jon Burge in 2009, a prominent civil case wherein Jon Burge, a former Chicago police officer, was involved in cases of police brutality and torture of suspects. One young man who was wrongfully accused and incarcerated for 24 years filed a civil suit against the city of Chicago. Mr. Szymanski had the privilege of working on the case and with his help, the young man won a significant sum of money. To prepare for his career, Mr. Szymanski obtained a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1969. From there, he served in the U.S. Army for one year and six months, with approximately 15 of those months spent in Korea. Interested in law following his military work, he attended the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, where he earned a JD in 1976. The following year, he was admitted to practice law in the state of Illinois. He has also been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States since 1999. A member of the Department of Veteran Affairs, Mr. Szymanski attributes his success to his diligent, hard-working nature and his military experience. He recalls always having a long line of customers, which kept him extremely busy. However, he thoroughly enjoyed the work and found great pleasure in helping his clients. As a testament to his success and longevity in the field, Mr. Szymanski was featured in the 10th edition of Who’s Who in American Law, published in 1998. RONALD J. SZYMANSKI LAWYER (RETIRED) Cook County Public Defenders Brookfield, IL LAW AND LAW ENFORCEMENT