BIOGRAPHY
Rachel J. Hess
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND LICENSES
- Licensed Illinois Attorney, J.D., Mississippi College School of Law, 1994
- Registered Title Insurance Agent, Ticor Title
- Member, Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council, ISBA
- ISBA, Sub-Committee Chair, Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council, Legal Technology
- Certified Arbitrator, Cook, Kane, DuPage Counties, since 1999
- Kane County Bar Association, member (www.kanecountybar.org)
WORK HISTORY
2010-Current Hess & Haskell Defenders, P.C.
- Joint Venture with Law Office of Ronald Haskell to represent clients with DUI/traffic and criminal matters
2000-Current Law Office of Rachel J. Hess
Owner, DUI/traffic and criminal defense; Civil litigation; Appeals; Real Estate; Small Claims; General Practitioner
2000-Current Office of State Appellate Defender, Panel Attorney, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Districts
- Represent indigent clients on appeal in juvenile, misdemeanor and felony cases.
1999-2003 Van Der Snick Law Firm, Geneva, Illinois
- Associate/Independent Contractor. DUI/traffic and criminal defense.
1999-1999 Law Offices of Lawrence Friedman, P.C., Chicago, IL
- Associate. Plaintiffs counsel representing clients in Foreclosure, Contract and Collection cases.
1998-1999 Assistant State's Attorney, LaSalle County State's Attorney's Office, Ottawa, IL
- Felony prosecutor; responsible for total case management involving the prosecution of complex felony cases throughout all stages of trial. First chair jury trial experience.
1998-1998 Assistant Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Ottawa, IL
- Felony and misdemeanor criminal appeals. Management of large caseload. Presented oral argument before Third District Court of Appeals.
1996-1998 Schaffner & Van Der Snick, P.C., Geneva, IL
- Associate. Defense of traffic, misdemeanor and felony cases as well as civil practice, simple estate planning, family law and real estate transactions. First chair civil jury trial experience.
1995-1996 Assistant State's Attorney, Kane County State's Attorney's Office, St. Charles, IL
- Misdemeanor prosecutor; Responsible for prosecution of ordinance violations, traffic, misdemeanor and DUI cases throughout all stages of trial. First chair criminal jury trial experience. Guest speaker: Zonta, Legal Ease, DARE.
1994-1995 Staff Attorney, Sixteenth Judicial Circuit, St. Charles, IL
- Small claims court assistant, legal research for local judiciary, family court assistant.
OTHER WORK HISTORY
1996-1996 Part-Time Instructor, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
1993-1994 Founder, Phi Alpha Delta Pro-Bono Legal Referral Service, Jackson, MS
- Established the only not-for-profit legal referral service in the State of Mississippi in 1994. The referral service provides legal aid to indigent members of the Jackson community.
EDUCATION
1999-2003 L.L.M., Information Technology, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, June 2003
1991-1994 J.D., Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi
1993 Pepperdine University School of Law, Institute for Dispute Resolution, Malibu, California
1987-1991 B.S., Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
