This week, President Obama nominated John Z. Lee, a partner at the law firm of Freeborn & Peters LLP in Chicago, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: John Tharp, John Lee tapped for Chicago federal judgeships.If confirmed, Mr. Lee would be only the second Asian Pacific American to serve as an Article III judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He would also become only the second Korean American in the history of the United States to serve as a federal district court judge.
Mr. Lee is the son of a coal miner and a nurse, and immigrated to the United States when he was only five years old. He is currently a partner with Freeborn & Peters, where he litigates complex commercial cases in diverse areas of the law. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Lee represented the federal government in environmental litigation nationwide at the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has been recognized by numerous organizations and publications for his work, including: "40 Attorneys Under 40 in Illinois to Watch," Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (2004); "Leading Lawyer" in Commercial Litigation and Class Action/Mass Tort Defense, Leading Lawyers Network (2008, 2009, 2010). He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and cum laude from Harvard Law School.Read the full press release from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Asian American Justice Center here
Throughout his career he has been very active in serving the community, particularly in providing legal services to those in need. He is the President of the Board of Directors for the Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services ("CARPLS"), a co-founder of the Willow Creek Legal Aid Clinic in Hoffman Estates (a joint program between CARPLS and Willow Creek Church), and the President of the Board of Directors of Asian Human Services.