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Judge James T. Derico, Jr. is a 1982 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a 1985 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In the 34 years since Judge Derico's graduation from Penn Law he has enjoyed a vibrant and diverse legal career.
Judge Derico began his legal practice as an attorney at a large law firm. While there, he worked in the area of public offerings, mergers and acquisitions and public bond offerings.
Subsequently, Judge Derico worked for the City of Chicago in the Office of the Corporation Counsel and as an In-House Corporate Attorney for Borg-Warner Corporation.
In 1992, Judge Derico became the owner and founding partner of Derico & Associates, P.C. In that capacity Judge represented Fortune 500 companies and private individuals in a wide range of transactional and litigation matters.
As a partner with Derico & Associates, P.C., Judge Derico achieved some outstanding results for many of his clients and he even made new law in the State of Illinois representing a child social welfare agency against a large insurance company.
In December 2018, the Illinois Supreme Court in recognition of Judge Derico's legal ability, commitment to public service and his years of experience, appointed him to serve as a Circuit Court Judge for the CIrcuit Court of Cook County.
Judge Derico is also member of the Chicago Bar association, the Cook County Bar Association and Trinity United Church of Christ.
Judge Derico worked at Derico & Associates, P.C. from its inception until he was tapped by the Illinois Supreme Court in December 2018 to serve as a Circuit Court Judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County. Judge Derico is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Cook County Bar Association.
Judge Derico is also a member of Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC) on the south side of Chicago. In 2009 and 2014 Judge Derico was the recipient of the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Distinguished Service Award for his pro bono work the TUCC Legal Clinic.
