Paul Marks Unanimously Elected President of Madison County Bar Association

Attorney Paul Marks, in a unanimous vote by his peers, was elected president of the Madison County Bar Association for the 2008-2009 term. Marks previously served as vice-president, treasurer and secretary of the Bar Association. He has been a member for nine years.

Marks said he was "flattered by the honor" of being elected president and already has plans for the group. "First on the agenda is planning for the February 12, 2009 celebration of the Bicentennial anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln," Marks said. "Our local association is working in conjunction with the Illinois State Bar Association on the event."

Marks said his second major goal would be to continue to expand the Madison County Bar's effort to promote continuing legal education for the public. "We have a fantastic educational program called the People's Law School," Marks said. "It's for anyone in the community who is interested in learning the basic fundamentals of law. We've had a great response to the classes and believe there are more people out there who would find them educational and useful." The Bar Association typically offers the program at SIUE or SWICC. The classes are usually held once a week for an hour-and-a-half for one month. Marks said he hopes to expand the program to provide classes up to four times a year.

Marks, of SLChapman LLC, is a graduate of Illinois State University at Normal and received his law degree from St. Louis University School of Law. He focuses his practice on class actions and appellate work.