ADR Systems is delighted to welcome Hon. Marguerite A. Quinn, (Ret.) to its panel of senior mediators and arbitrators. Judge Quinn has served the legal community for 38 years, including a 16-year judicial career in the Circuit Court of Cook County and 22 years as a lawyer in Chicago. While serving on the bench, Judge Quinn helped parties resolve disputes in numerous settlement conferences and presided over many high-profile cases.

Judge Quinn recently presided over the largest toxic tort case in Cook County. This litigation was very complex; more than 800 plaintiffs filed suit against three corporations and multiple law firms represented the plaintiffs and the defendant corporations. To manage this litigation, Judge Quinn set a structured timeline to keep the motions and discovery issues on track to successfully meet the 18-month trial date deadline. Judge Quinn believes that organization, attention to detail and patience are some of the keys to being a good judge and a good neutral. She feels the most important thing she can do for the parties is listen, to fully understand the parties and their issues in order to facilitate a resolution.

“I’ve found that it’s vital for the parties to feel they are being heard and understood. I want them to be comfortable with the process of mediation and understand that the objective is to resolve their case as favorably as possible. The parties need to know that they can trust me and rely on my experience to achieve their goal.”

During Judge Quinn’s time in the Law Division, she conducted hundreds of pretrials. Initially all pretrials were done in person; however, during the COVID-19 pandemic she set up virtual pretrial hearings to help litigants settle their disputes remotely. “For many litigants, pretrials, like mediation, gave parties the opportunity to settle their case because their trial dates were uncertain due to court closures,” Judge Quinn said.

Judge Quinn recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit involving a quadriplegic man. It was a difficult and emotional pretrial because the surviving brother was still overwhelmed by his loss and anxious about the prospect of a trial. After the successful resolution of this suit, though, the surviving brother expressed enormous relief that he did not have to worry about the stress and uncertainty of a trial. Judge Quinn sees this as another benefit of alternative dispute resolution. As a neutral, it is Judge Quinn’s hope that she can help parties find a way forward.

“Judge Quinn’s decades of experience in both personal injury and commercial matters make her a valuable addition to our panel,” said Marc Becker, president of ADR Systems. “Her commitment to listening and finding a resolution that benefits all parties is something we are very excited to see her use for our clients.”

……….

Hon. Marguerite A. Quinn, (Ret) brings 38 years of legal experience to her role as a senior mediator and arbitrator. On the bench she presided over both commercial and personal injury cases, including one of the largest toxic tort cases in Cook County. She values patience when working with parties to resolve disputes and urges everyone involved in her mediations to intentionally listen to each other.

View Judge Quinn’s Full Bio

Request Judge Quinn’s Availability

ADR Systems, It’s Settled. ®