Cook County Circuit Court Domestic Violence Survivor Center Opens

 In October 2023, the Cook County Circuit Court in Markham opened a domestic violence survivor center. Situated in a basement of the Markham Court, the facility is out of public view and designed to provide a safe, secure, and comfortable space that victims can make use of during trying periods in their lives.

A collaborative undertaking of domestic violence advocates and the county, the center offers a space where victims can meet and converse freely with advocates and take part in Zoom hearings. It also offers an area where children can hang out and comfortably pass the time.

A Cook County clerk advocated for this new facility, which she describes as providing “a place that someone [in need] can call home” for a short time. Unfortunately, domestic violence is all too prevalent statewide, with 65,000 cases reported annually and the actual number of underreported incidents thought to be significantly higher. The domestic violence survivor center represents a first step in ensuring that justice is served in a practical, humane, and family-centered way.

The Usefulness of Theater to the Courtroom

 A judge at the circuit court of Cook County, Illinois, Megan Goldish has responsibilities that include reviewing confidential orders and motions, researching and writing orders, and presiding over hearings in court. Judge Megan Goldish loves the theater and acknowledges how instrumental it has been to her legal work.

Many experts consider law as both an art and a science. Litigation (the process of taking legal action) requires the lawyer to perform research, make a hypothesis, and either defend that hypothesis before the court or use it to counter a colleague's argument. Studying acting can help lawyers present and understand emotions and nonverbal signals that they can use to convince the jury that their argument is the reasonable truth.

For actors to convincingly play a part, they must understand the motives of their characters. Similarly, lawyers must understand the intentions of both the prosecution and the defense to present a persuasive argument.

The Usefulness of Theater to the Courtroom

 A judge at the circuit court of Cook County, Illinois, Megan Goldish has responsibilities that include reviewing confidential orders and motions, researching and writing orders, and presiding over hearings in court. Judge Megan Goldish loves the theater and acknowledges how instrumental it has been to her legal work.

Many experts consider law as both an art and a science. Litigation (the process of taking legal action) requires the lawyer to perform research, make a hypothesis, and either defend that hypothesis before the court or use it to counter a colleague's argument. Studying acting can help lawyers present and understand emotions and nonverbal signals that they can use to convince the jury that their argument is the reasonable truth.

For actors to convincingly play a part, they must understand the motives of their characters. Similarly, lawyers must understand the intentions of both the prosecution and the defense to present a persuasive argument.

A Brief History of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois

 Judge Megan Goldish graduated with honors from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and holds a BA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has worked in the field of law in Cook County, Illinois, for over 22 years, including serving as a judge in the Domestic Violence Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County since 2014. In this capacity, Judge Megan Goldish reviews confidential records and motions as well as performs research and writes orders, among other duties. She is a member of various legal associations, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.

Established in 1914, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) is one of the oldest and largest bar associations in the State of Illinois. Founded by nine female practicing Chicago lawyers, the association focused on working with the Public Defenders League for Girls in its early days, a now defunct auxiliary organization. Its current activities are mainly geared towards promoting the interests and welfare of female attorneys, as well as important social and political issues.

It seeks to promote, protect, and advance the interests of women lawyers as well as further the administration of justice by helping pass legislation for the common good. In addition to these objectives, WBAI also helps its members gain employment and is one of the first women's bar associations to allow the membership of male lawyers.