Erika Orr

Name: Erika Orr

Party: Democratic

Age: 44

Current residence: Chicago

Current position and employer: Sole practitioner, Orr Law Group Ltd.

Past legal experience with years of each job: Owner, Orr Law Group Ltd., 2011-present; adjunct professor, Loyola University Chicago, 2012; adjunct professor, American Intercontinental University, 2004-11; senior manager, Ernst & Young LLP, 2007-10; tax counsel, Aon Corp., 2003-06; experienced senior, Arthur Andersen/Deloitte, 1998-03; teaching assistant, University of Illinois English Department, 1996-98

Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $17,890.28

Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $17,297.07

Law school: University of Illinois College of Law, 1998

Campaign website: orrlawgroup.com

Family: Married with two sons, ages 11 and 9.

Hobbies/interests: Singing, skiing and reading.

Have you ever run for office before?

No. This is my first run for public office.

Why should voters support your candidacy?

I have a more diverse background in the law than the majority of the candidates in the race, I have hands on experience in a myriad of litigation areas and I have been found “Qualified” or “Recommended” by all of the bar associations in Cook County including the Illinois State Bar Association. As an attorney in my 20th year of practice, I have a diverse legal background which includes both transactional and international law as well as litigation. I have been direct client facing on intimate, life-altering emotional issues with domestic litigation while also having addressed corporate bottom lines while client facing as an international tax attorney. This depth of experience in the legal profession makes me qualified for election as a circuit court judge.

Why do you want to be a judge?

I aspire to be a judge because I think I have put in the requisite amount of work in front of the bench to be a good decision maker behind the bench. In Illinois, I believe we want justices who understand the real world outside the court house and the law books. In addition to having a command of the law in which I practice and the undeniable ability to swiftly attain the knowledge to be fair and honest adjudicator for areas of the law new to me, my background is global and multidimensional. My corporate experience has taught me how corporate America works; I know how to look at a balance sheet and see what’s really behind the earnings before income tax and depreciation, but my domestic relations work has show me the necessity of compassion and understanding of litigants.

What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?

The most interesting case I had involved a minor child (age 6) with a Polish mother and a Palestinian father. The minor child had been with father and paternal grandparents since birth, with mother popping in from time to time every few years. Mother returned and claimed that father was trying to abscond with the minor child to Palestine, which is not a member of the Hague Convention — which means Palestine would not intervene if the child was removed to that country (reminiscent of the movie “Not Without My Daughter”). This case involved my interacting with the FBI, Palestinian embassy and the local authorities to prevent the father from disappearing with the child. Father and child were stopped at LAX when father tried to check in for a flight the FBI found he had booked to Palestine.

What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

Leaving the practice of international tax and the big employers by whom I was employed 13 years and taking a chance on myself and starting my own practice. I have built this practice piece by piece. I brought over no clients from my prior firm so I had to brand, build a legal reputation and secure clients to maintain the Orr Law Group Ltd. I have done so successfully and in quicker time frame than what I established for my business goals.

What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?

I believe I bring a key set of values that are imperative to being an unbiased decision maker which is required by those who don the robe and sit on the bench. Throughout my life, it has constantly been impressed upon me the need to exercise good judgment, to learn the relevant facts before making a decision or as a child to get the facts before asking my parents to make a decision for me. I am rooted in the belief that everyone should be treated with the hand of fairness and compassion no matter their socioeconomic status, race, religion, nationality or sexual preference, and to do so requires one to treat others with respect, dignity and kindness. These are values of mine that are unwavering and non-negotiable — they make up the core of who I am.