News
November 30, 2008
Chicago Bar Association Hosts a Luncheon to Celebrate the Distinguished Legal Career of The Honorable George N. Leighton
The Honorable George N. Leighton, Former U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois and Of Counsel, Neal & Leroy, LLC was recognized by the Chicago Bar Association at a luncheon on Thursday, October 23, 2008 held at The Standard Club in Chicago, IL. Family, colleagues from the Bench, and hundreds of friends were in attendance.
Judge George N. Leighton concentrates in the areas of federal litigation and appellate cases. He became counsel to Neal & Leroy, LLC in 1987 after retiring from 23 combined years of service as judge on the state and federal bench. Judge Leighton is a 1946 graduate of Harvard Law School and a 1940 magna cum laude graduate of Howard University. Judge Leighton's early career included serving as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois and as Master in Chancery of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Chicago legal community is indebted to Judge Leighton’s inspired participation as a lawyer handling civil cases, defending more than 200 criminal cases and arguing over 175 appeals. In 1964, he was elected to a six-year term as Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and five years later he was assigned by the Illinois Supreme Court to sit as Judge of the Appellate Court, First District. In 1970, Judge Leighton was elected to a ten-year term as a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District.
President Gerald Ford nominated Judge Leighton to serve as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 1975, upon confirmation Judge Leighton began serving in 1976. Judge Leighton retired from the bench in 1987.
Read more about the Chicago Bar Association luncheon celebration for Judge Leighton.