NIU Law Alumni Council Announces Recipients of its 2007 Alumni Awards
August 31, 2007
DeKalb, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University College of Law Alumni Council is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2007 Alumni Awards.
Richard F. Bales, of Aurora, Ill. and a leading expert in the field of land surveying, was named the 2007 Alumnus of the Year in recognition of his outstanding career achievements and dedication to NIU Law. Doressia Hutton, of Chicago, received the Young Alumnus Award, which honors NIU Law graduates who have outstanding achievements early in their careers and for their devotion to the public good. Two graduates, Diana K. Kakoma, of Chicago, and Marilyn Frank-Stromborg, of Sycamore, Ill., received Distinguished Service Awards for their outstanding career achievements and devotion to the public good. Hon. Jane Hird Mitton of Glen Ellyn, Ill., was presented with the Outstanding Service Award, which honors NIU Law graduates who have shown extraordinary service to the law school. NIU Law professor David Taylor, of Rockford, Ill., received the Professor of the Year Award for his continued support of graduates and involvement in alumni programs and events.
Richard F. Bales, a 1983 NIU Law graduate, is as an assistant regional counsel and assistant vice president in the Wheaton office of Chicago Title Insurance Company. As the unofficial "Dean" of the Education Committee of the Illinois Land Title Association, Bales has lectured throughout the state on all aspects of real estate law and title insurance. He also has written numerous articles on the topic, as well as a book, Residential and Commercial Surveys in Illinois. As a member of the American Land Title Association and American Congress on Surveying and Mapping liaison committee, he helped draft the 2006 ALTA/ACSM land title survey standards.
Also a Chicago historian, Bales authored The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, a book wherein he claims (through the study of pre-Chicago Fire land records) to have solved the mystery of who started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The book received worldwide media attention and was the subject of a Discovery Channel “Unsolved History” episode.
Doressia Hutton is an associate in the Chicago office of the firm of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, which is among the largest law practices in the world, where she has worked with the since graduating from NIU Law at the top of her class in 2001.Her practice areas include insurance/reinsurance disputes and complex commercial litigation. In addition, Hutton’s work involves extensive pro bono litigation.
Outside the firm, Hutton conducts presentations at continuing legal education seminars for Section of Litigation, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association, as well as for other professional organizations. She serves as co-chair of the ABA’s Employment Practices Subcommittee and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Diana K. Kakoma, a 2001 NIU Law graduate, is a member of the fundraising committee of the American Friends of Kigali Public Library (Chicago chapter), a not-for-profit organization that is building the first public library in Rwanda. She has organized art auctions featuring work from prominent national and international artists, which have raised more than $25,000 for the library project. Kakoma’s professional experience includes having served as a law clerk for Judges Sharon Johnson Coleman and Arnette R. Hubbard in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Marilyn Frank-Stromborg, a 1994 NIU Law graduate, developed the first-ever drug court in DeKalb County, which she continues to oversee as a special court administrator/drug court coordinator. Rather than doling out jail time to non-violent offenders charged with drug-related crimes or whose addictions led to the offense, the Drug Court sends eligible participants through an intense treatment program that also includes job counseling and training. Prior to working in the justice system, Frank-Stromborg enjoyed a nearly 40-year distinguished career in the nursing field and academia. In 2004 she left her post as chair of the Northern Illinois University School of Nursing to work as an assistant state’s attorney for Kane County.
Hon. Jane Hird Mitton, a 1983 NIU Law graduate, is an associate judge in the state of Illinois 18th Judicial Circuit. She served in the Domestic Relations Division when she was appointed to the bench in 1995. She now serves in the Misdemeanor Division. Mitton’s career also includes working in the DuPage County State’s Attorney Office as supervisor of the Civil Division and practicing civil litigation with the Law Offices of Robert V. Gilfo, Ltd. in Wheaton. An active NIU Law alumna, Mitton is chair of the NIU Law Board of Visitors and a generous supporter of the school’s programs and events.
David H. Taylor, an NIU Presidential Teaching Professor, has taught full-time at NIU Law since 1992. He teaches Civil Procedure, Evidence, Lawyering Skills and Trial Advocacy. In addition, Taylor serves as director of skills training and oversees the skills curriculum and the Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic in Rockford, where he supervises staff attorneys and third-year law students who provide legal services to Winnebago County residents who have limited access to legal representation. Taylor also trains and coaches extramural teams in client counseling, moot court, trial advocacy, and negotiation competitions. His teams have experienced much success, finishing as high as second in the nation. Taylor maintains strong connections with many of his former students and is always available to answer their questions and provide assistance when needed.
For more information, contact:
Melody Mitchell
Director, Alumni Events & Public Relations
(815) 753-9655
mmitchell@niu.edu