State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Names New Deputy Chief of the Civil Actions Bureau

CHICAGO - Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced today that Jessica M. Scheller will serve as Deputy Chief of the Civil Actions Bureau effective July 10, succeeding Amy Crawford, who leaves the office after five years of service.

“Jessica is a talented legal strategist, a trusted advisor, and will continue to manage sensitive and high-profile civil litigation for the Office,” said State’s Attorney Foxx. “I am pleased to have her join my leadership team as we continue to pursue justice for Cook County residents."

Scheller graduated from law school in 2004 and moved to the public sector after 10 years in private practice. After working as a Supervisor for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, she joined the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO), in 2017 most recently serving as the Chief of the Advice, Business & Complex Litigation Division. As Division Chief she was tasked with litigating matters affecting the public interest, including election disputes and constitutional challenges to Cook County’s regulatory schemes filed pursuant to the First, Second, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. She was also responsible for supervising lawyers within the Division covering more than 40 civil practice areas, including transparency litigation, real estate tax litigation, class action defense, affirmative litigation, worker’s compensation litigation, malicious prosecution, civil enforcement actions, municipal defense, transactions, and advisory opinions.

“I find great joy and satisfaction in advancing the public interest and look forward to continuing the CCSAO’s tradition of public service,” said Scheller. “I am grateful to State’s Attorney Foxx for the opportunity.”  Scheller obtained her JD and MBA from Loyola University Chicago and holds degrees in Government & International Affairs and Economics from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

On the departure of Amy Crawford State’s Attorney Foxx said, “Amy Crawford has been an integral member of my leadership team and I want to thank her for her years of service and wish her all the best in this next chapter of her life and career.”  

Scheller will report to Bureau Chief Cathy McNeil Stein. 

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.