Biography
Mr. Komie, over his 46 years of membership in the Illinois State Bar Association, has received the Board of Governors Award and numerous citations for his service to the Illinois State Bar Association. He has served as chairman of the Criminal Justice Section. He is a founding member of the Human Rights Section. He has been elected to the Illinois Bar Assembly for more than 30 years. Mr. Komie has been elected to the Board of Governors for multiple terms totaling 21 years. His other ISBA activities include: Illinois Bar Foundation, Director, Fellow & Pillar of the Profession; 4-time Participant, Allerton House Conference. Chair: Task Force on Attorneys for Children 1997-1999, Committee on Credentials; GATS Task Force, 2005; By-Laws Committee; Committee on Professionalism, 1991-92; Criminal Justice Section 1989-2016. He has been a member of the following Committees or Sections: ARDC Committee; CLE Committee; Civil Practice; Family Law Section; Task Force, Judicial Compensation; and Traffic Laws & Courts.
He is also a member of other local and national bar associations: American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Appellate Lawyers, Celtic Legal, Chicago Bar, DuPage County Bar, Illinois Trial Lawyers, Justinian's, National Trial Lawyers, North Suburban, Northwest Suburban, Peoria County, and Women’s Bar Associations.
Stephen is a solo practitioner, a graduate of DePaul Law school, and a full time trial lawyer.
Issue Statement
Solo and small firm practitioners have been dramatically affected by Covid-19. It has changed the way we do business. Profession is still adjusting to remote work and Zoom sessions. The Board of Governors (BOG) must drive the Association to provide high-quality continuing legal education at an affordable cost for members. We must anticipate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the practice of law. We’ll need to develop programs to train lawyers in the use of AI, applications of AI to make the practice of law more affordable in the deliverability of legal services, and for member profitability. At the same time, we need to be forever vigilant against the encroachments of the legal profession by the unauthorized practice of law. We should join alliances with the sister states’ bar associations in the defense of the Big Money commercial interests becoming partners in law firms, and squeezing lawyers out via the internet. We need to turn our attention to training lawyers in the skills they will need in the courtroom by continuing the tradition of the Fred Lane Trial Practice Program. I would devote more resources to our lobbying program in Springfield to prevent the over-criminalization of offenses, the passage of unneeded laws, and to advise the General Assembly since the majority of representatives are not lawyers. The BOG needs to develop live events to encourage lawyers to meet and spend time in person. Through our meetings we gain strength by the development of a common goal for the future. We need to reach out to the law schools and new lawyers to join our ranks for the betterment of the profession. Finally, we need to assist our brothers and sisters of the bar to streamline their practices through new technologies and to become more profitable.