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The Honorable Judge Jennifer L. Barron: An Analytical Mind, Humbly and Continually Seeking the Right Result for Each Case
By Christian Ketter
Judge Jennifer Leah Barron grew up in Washington D.C. She fondly remembers her early jobs working at McDonalds and selling ice cream in front of the Lincoln Memorial. She first came to Chicago for college at the University of Chicago, where she studied Latin. There, she metDr. Jerome Hong, a doctor of internal medicine and her husband of 26 years. After college, she considered pursuing a Ph.D. in ancient near-eastern studies and a career in academics. But Judge Barron explained that she wanted to contribute in some way to serving “the immediate needs of others.” Thus, she was drawn to the law and enrolled at George Washington University Law School, graduating in 1995. Judge Barron found that her Latin studies provided her with the skills to approach all matters analytically–a vital tool in the study of law.
After law school, Judge Barron returned to Chicagoland and found a job with Charles A. Boyle & Associates, Ltd. Judge Barron explained that it was an “immersive experience,” and Charles Boyle was a supportive mentor. “It was a baptism by fire!” In her first week with Boyle, she found herself giving opening statements at a trial in federal court. The firm provided her with first-hand experience in every aspect of civil litigation, from discovery to trial and onward to appeals—along the way achieving multiple seven-figure awards for her clients. After a few years with Boyle, Judge Barron went to Cozen & O’Connor (formerly Blatt, Hammesfahr & Eaton) and managed insurance coverage litigation, representing insurers such as Lloyd’s of London, in multi-state toxic tort litigation. She eventually returned to work with Boyle, and the two became partners at Boyle & Barron, Ltd.
After ten years as a trial attorney in Chicago, Judge Barron shifted her focus to civil appeals. “I’m pretty nerdy, and I love to spend lots of time thinking about subjects like proximate cause,” she said. Judge Barron’s deep love for legal writing and research found its home in her appellate work. She worked as a contract attorney and Of Counsel for the law offices of Lynn D. Dowd. She eventually started her own firm, Barron Legal, Ltd., and quickly became one of the go-to appellate attorneys for plaintiffs’ lawyers. She has many reported opinions as counsel of record and has argued cases before the various appellate courts and the Illinois Supreme Court.
Judge Barron and her husband moved to DuPage County twenty-five years ago, and raised two children, Lily and Henry, in Naperville. Both children graduated from Waubonsie Valley High School, and both are currently students at the University of Chicago. In December 2012, while on her way to volunteer at her son’s elementary school, Judge Barron learned of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School and felt compelled to make a difference.Consequently, she signed up for pro bono legal work for the Giffords Law Center, which works to address gun violence. She has also served as a long-time pro bono attorney for Prairie State Legal Services, which provides access to justice to those otherwise unable to afford it. Community involvement is very important to Judge Barron. She served as a PTA president at two of her children’s schools and volunteered for several years as a youth soccer coach with the Wheatland Athletic Association.
Prior to her nomination for the circuit court judge position she now occupies, Judge Barron had never even considered becoming a judge. Rather, she said, when Justice Linda Davenport was appointed to the Third District, “I was asked if I would be interested in being considered for an appointment to the recent vacancy, and the prospect was both humbling and exciting.” Judge Barron could not pass up the opportunity to weigh in on the very legal issues she had spent so long pondering. And so, the rigorous evaluation and interview process began, and, in a relatively short period, she handed off her private practice and began the next stage of her life and career–as a judge.
Judge Barron is “immensely grateful to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary K. O’Brien and the unanimous vote of the Illinois Supreme Court appointing me to serve the citizens of DuPage County.” Likewise, she is thankful to Justice Davenport and Judge Bonnie M. Wheaton, both “fantastic mentors” who have been instrumental in her transition to the judiciary. After Judge Barron’s initial judicial assignment in traffic, she asked Chief Judge Kenneth L. Popejoy to assign her to the Law Division, where her longstanding ruminations on proximate cause would be put to good use.