Alumni
Alumni Associations
2016 - Hon. Thomas M. Durkin ’71 - United States District Judge
Thomas M. Durkin became a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois on January 14, 2013, having been nominated by President Barack Obama on May 21, 2012. Judge Durkin received a JD degree with honors from DePaul University College of Law in 1978 and a BS degree in accounting with honors from the University of Illinois in 1975.
Following graduation from DePaul, Judge Durkin served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stanley J. Roszkowski of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 1978 to 1980. After his clerkship, Judge Durkin served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago from 1980 to 1993, where he held positions as First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division, Chief of the Criminal Receiving and Appellate Division, and Deputy Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division. While an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he tried over 50 jury trials.
Before taking the bench, Judge Durkin was a partner in the law rm of Mayer Brown, LLP from 1993 to 2013, specializing in complex commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and internal investigations. He served on the Board of the Legal Assistance Founda tion from 1999 to 2008. He has been a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers since 2000. He was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts in 2015 to the Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
While at Fenwick High School from 1967 to 1971, he ran for Coach John Polka on the cross country and track teams, winning the Catholic League Championship in the two-mile run in 1971. Although it was over 46 years and 30 pounds ago, he remembers his quarter-mile split times from that race. His best two-mile time was 9:47.
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Before taking the bench, Judge Durkin was a partner in the law rm of Mayer Brown, LLP from 1993 to 2013, specializing in complex commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and internal investigations. He served on the Board of the Legal Assistance Founda tion from 1999 to 2008. He has been a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers since 2000. He was appointed by Chief Justice Roberts in 2015 to the Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States.
While at Fenwick High School from 1967 to 1971, he ran for Coach John Polka on the cross country and track teams, winning the Catholic League Championship in the two-mile run in 1971. Although it was over 46 years and 30 pounds ago, he remembers his quarter-mile split times from that race. His best two-mile time was 9:47.
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