Patrick Thomas Stanton
Name: Patrick Thomas Stanton
Party: Democratic
Age: 51
Current residence: Chicago
Current position: Cook County circuit judge, appointed Jan. 1, 2017
Past legal experience with years of each job: Member, Dykema Gossett PLLC, 2008-16; Partner/associate, Schwartz Cooper Chartered, 1996-2008; law clerk, U.S. District Judge George M. Marovich, 1995-96; associate, Jones Day, 1993-95
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $68,504.21
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $10,425.63
Law school: Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 1993
Campaign website: electjudgestanton.com
Family: I have been married to my wife, Karen, for 19 years. We have five children — Tommy, Burke, John, Peter and Ellie.
Hobbies/interests: Running, tennis and the Chicago White Sox
Have you ever run for office before?
No.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
Voters want qualified, hard working and independent judges from a variety of backgrounds. I believe that my 23 years of commercial litigation experience, my community and law firm leadership, and my current experience as a circuit judge make me a strong candidate for election as a circuit judge.
Why do you want to be a judge?
I wanted to become a judge because I believe that the court system needs successful, qualified lawyers to become judges. As a law clerk for U.S. District Judge George M. Marovich, I saw the positive impact a judge can make on people’s lives. I hope that I can make a positive impact on the lives of the litigants who appear before me.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
While the vast majority of my cases were commercial matters, my most interesting case was a plaintiff’s personal-injury case. We represented a family whose toddler was killed in a playpen that was previously recalled as a dangerous product. Through the case and the tenacity of our clients, I learned about the limited testing of children’s products and ineffectiveness of product recalls. My clients, through a foundation they started, have since successfully advocated for substantial changes to the state and federal laws regarding the safety testing of children’s products.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
I am proud of the many lawyers I hired, trained and mentored at my law firms. At an informal farewell lunch at my prior firm before my swearing in, several of the younger partners spoke to say goodbye and to wish me well. I was most touched and proud that several of these partners attributed some of their success as lawyers to the training and mentoring I had done for them as young lawyers. One of my partners who spoke at my swearing in thanked me specifically for my mentorship of women lawyers at our law firm.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
What I enjoyed about my commercial litigation practice was that it required me to learn and be familiar with many different areas of substantive law. I needed to be able to quickly spot issues, assess the risks and give sound, practical advice, often times not having the benefit of conducting extensive research. In addition, as a litigator, I always tried to understand the other side’s position from a legal, practical and emotional standpoint. I think that these skills will be an asset to me in my career as a judge.