Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Welcomes 160 New Assistant State’s Attorneys in 2022
CHICAGO – Last week, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx swore in the Class of 2022, which includes 35 new Assistant State’s Attorneys (ASAs) joining the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the country. This class, comprised of professionals educated in institutions from around the country, is in addition to the 11 new ASAs sworn in early November, for a total of over 160 attorneys joining the office this year.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office employs over 1,400 people, nearly 800 of whom serve as Assistant State’s Attorneys. As trials return to post-COVID-19 levels, these new ASAs are instrumental in the office’s pursuit of justice on behalf of the residents of Cook County.
“The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is a premier destination for prosecution, and we continually hire the best and brightest legal minds from across our nation,” said State’s Attorney Foxx. “The ASAs who have joined this year are entering the office during an unprecedented time – after a global pandemic that saw the court system grind to a halt and a racial reckoning with increased demand for equity and justice after the death of George Floyd. These are challenging times, but we continue to attract and retain the talent we need to serve residents fairly and justly.”
The Class of 2022 is comprised of graduates from the University of Dayton, SIU School of Law, Charleston School of Law, DePaul University School of Law, Northwestern University, Florida Coastal School of Law, US Davis School of Law, Arizona State University, University of California School of Law, Northern Illinois University College of Law, Villanova University School of Law, IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law, Georgetown Law, Massachusetts School of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law, and George Washington University.
The CCSAO continues to attract legal professionals from across the country even during what many call the Great Resignation, a mass exodus of workers leaving their jobs post-COVID. While steady increases in resignations can be traced back to 2009 (Harvard Business Review, 2022), many workers post-COVID are actively looking for new opportunities that are flexible, versatile, and collaborative in organizations with a clear vision, which brings them to the CCSAO.
“Every industry has been impacted by increased resignations and a global pandemic that has forever changed how and where we work. Our office is no exception, but we continue to attract new lawyers while retaining dedicated staff drawn to our mission, vision, and the values that guide our work every day,” said State’s Attorney Foxx. “We will continue to offer up-and-coming attorneys and current staff growth opportunities and the training needed to be effective and fair prosecutors.”
In addition to attracting talent through a strong mission to do justice, the State’s Attorney’s Office has streamlined its new attorney hiring process to approximately four weeks which appeals to students looking to start working as quickly as possible.
“New bar-takers seek careers in offices where the work is rooted in a strong mission, vision, and values. Because of this, we are able to choose from a diverse pool of candidates who reflect the people we serve,” said Shawn Eddings-Levesque, Esq. Director of Legal Hiring. “The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office attracts the best and brightest public servants, all while providing a collaborative work environment for our assistants.”
The mission of the CCSAO, the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the country, is to do justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities. The new ASAs begin work immediately in the Civil, Criminal, Juvenile, and Special Prosecutions Bureaus.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is the nation’s second-largest prosecutor’s office and is led by Cook County’s first Black woman State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. Foxx brings her vision to this office to fairly administer justice in the pursuit of thriving, healthy, and safe communities for every person who steps foot in Cook County, no matter their race, income, or zip code. Foxx has been recognized as one of the most progressive prosecutors through her forward-thinking, innovative strategies to intercept the cycles of violence and crime and bringing change to a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism. Follow @SAKimFoxx on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and @CookCountySAO on Twitter and Facebook.