ASSATA N. PETERSON

EDUCATION:
The George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.
Juris Doctor degree earned 2001
Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship, Syracuse, New York
Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude earned 1998

LEGAL EXPERIENCE:
Dennis T. Schoen, P.C., Chicago, Illinois, 2007 to present
Law Clerk to the Honorable P. Scott Neville, Jr., Illinois Appellate Court, First District, 2005-2007. Former Assistant Illinois Attorney General, Criminal Appeals Division, 2004-2005.

ADMISSIONS/LICENSES:
Member, State Bar of Illinois (2001)

Member, State Bar of New York (2002)

Federal Court Admissions
- Northern District of Illinois
- Central District of Illinois
- Southern District of Illinois

AWARDS AND HONORS:
American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division's "Star of the Quarter" Award, February 2007 and February 2006

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
Chicago Bar Association

Illinois State Bar Association

American Bar Association
- Former editor-in-chief of The Young Lawyer Magazine

Black Women Lawyers Association.

Certified arbitrator for the Council for Better Business Bureaus (2006 to present).

Certified mediator and mediator trainer for the Center for Conflict Resolution (2002 to present).

National Judge for the Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series Business Plan Competition (2004 to present).

SPEECHES AND PUBLICATIONS:
"In Pursuit of Civility", ABA THE YOUNG LAWYER, Vol. 10, No. 8 (June 2006).

"Repairing the Criminal Justice System: An Appeal for Restorative Justice", ABA ADVOCACY SUPER GROUP NEWSLETTER, Vol. 1, Issue 1 (January 2006).

"Assessing a Case for Appeal", ABA THE YOUNG LAWYER, Vol. 10, No. 1 (October 2005).

"The Juvenile Case Mediation - Restorative Justice Link", Center for Conflict Resolution CAUCUS (Fall 2005).

"Arbitration, Mediation and Procrastination: Avoid the Pitfalls and Effectively Plan For Your Next ADR", paper and presentation at the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division's 2004 Fall Conference in Austin, Texas.

REPRESENTATIVE CASES:
People v. Hardin, 217 Ill.2d 289, 840 N.E.2d 1205 (2005) (holding that the defendant's mere dissatisfaction with being represented by the Public Defender was insufficient to require the trial court to conduct an inquiry to ensure that there was no conflict of interest)

People v. Smith, 214 Ill.2d 338, 827 N.E.2d 444 (2005) (holding that the Fourth Amendment rights of the defendant, a passenger of a car stopped for DUI, were not violated because he was not unlawfully seized when he voluntarily consented to be searched)