Hon. Jessica Arong O’Brien First Asian President of Women’s Bar Association of Illinois

By: Mark Javier

 

On Thursday, June 4, 2015, history was made at the Radisson Aqua Blu Hotel as the first Asian president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) was installed in front of an audience of more than three hundred lawyers, judges, politicians, business and community leaders.

Many high-powered professionals in the legal field gathered to celebrate theWBAI’s 101st installation, and especially Judge Jessica Arong O’Brien becoming its first Asian president. Judge O’Brien is no stranger to making history. She is also the first Filipino to be elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County Illinois.

The guest list was impressive and included the likes of Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride; Chief of the Cook County Circuit Court Timothy Evans; Chief Judge of the Northern District of Illinois Ruben Castillo; Commissioners of the White House Initiative on Asian American Pacific Islanders Billy Dec and George Mui; President of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago Jasmine Hernandez; Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez; and many more.

Judge O’Brien is an inspiration to so many Filipinos in, and out, of the legal profession. During her installation address, she intimately shared her personal journey with everyone in the ballroom. As a child in the Philippines, her parents separated to follow personal dreams and left her in the care of her grandmother without an emphasis on education.

Judge O’Brien was a shy and fearful child, and her absence from school increased her feeling of anxiety and depression. After learning about Judge O’Brien’s situation, several families in her small village took it upon themselves to change the fortunes of young Judge O’Brien. Each of the families accepted responsibility for a different aspect of Judge O’Brien’s life. One family took care of getting Judge O’Brien to school, and another getting her home. Another family brought her to sports practices and games, her favorite sport was volleyball, and becoming captain of her volleyball team had a long lasting positive effect on Judge O’Brien’s life. One family entered Judge O’Brien into a local beauty pageant, which helped build her confidence. The love and generosity of these families taught Judge O’Brien the value of supporting the success of others.

Judge O’Brien did not rely solely on the generosity of others to achieve success; she worked extremely hard to reach her educational, professional and personal goals. While in law school, she even brought her first child to school with her and some of the school staff would help watch her child as she attended class. Judge O’Brien did not merely rest on her laurels as an attorney; she volunteered her time to contribute to the success of others, especially in the Asian legal community.

Along with becoming the first Asian president of the WBAI, Judge O’Brien is a former president of both the Asian American Bar Association of Great Chicago (AABA) and the Filipino American Bar Association of Chicago (FABA, currently FALA Chicago).

For all she has done in her professional life, she has surpassed that success in her personal life. In the midst of all her work in the legal community, Judge O’Brien has managed to balance her role as wife and mother. She has raised three wonderfuldaughters who share her value for helping others and she will see her oldest daughter – the one who went to law school with her – attend her first year of college at the University of San Diego. Just as she does with her career, Judge O’Brien works hard at keeping her family moving in the right direction, including supporting her husband as he campaigns to be the second judge in their family.

On a personal note, Judge O’Brien has been a mentor to me and continues to encourage my professional development and success. She is certainly worthy of her new role as President of WBAI and will no doubt increase the value of the association to its members and the legal profession. ##

Hon. Judge Jessica Arong-O’Brien’s swearing-in as the first Asian President of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.