Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Michael Bertucci ascended to the presidency of the Justinian Society of Lawyers at the society’s installation and awards dinner on May 14 at RPM Events Chicago. Chief Judge Charles S. Beach II was presented with the society’s Award of Excellence at the event.
Joining Bertucci as officers are First Vice President Judge Jill Cerone-Marisie, Second Vice President Michael R. Grieco, Third Vice President Sarah M. LeRose, Treasurer Dominic C. LoVerde and Secretary William J. Davy Jr.
The following profiles were provided by the organization.
2026 Award of Excellence
Hon. Chief Judge Charles S. Beach II
Charles S. Beach II serves as the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, the largest of the 24 judicial circuits in Illinois and one of the largest unified court systems in the world. More than 1 million cases are annually filed in the court, which serves Cook County’s nearly 5.2 million residents.
Chief Judge Beach oversees about 400 judges, whom he assigns throughout the court’s 10 divisions and 6 geographic districts. He also oversees an annual budget of $414 million and about 2,600 employees, who work in 15 nonjudicial offices providing court-related services such as probation and courtroom interpreters.
Chief Judge Beach was elected in September 2025 by his fellow Cook County Circuit Judges and elevated to the position in December 2025.
Chief Judge Beach’s judicial career began in 2017 when the Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to the bench. In 2018, Chief Judge Beach was selected by Circuit Judges to serve as a Cook County Associate Judge. Chief Judge Beach presided over matters in the Traffic Division and the First Municipal District, before becoming supervising judge of Traffic Court. In 2019, Judge Beach was assigned to the Pretrial Division, also becoming a Supervising Judge. While with the Pretrial Division, Judge Beach helped to develop an operational plan resulting in the division continuously operating every day of the year throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Judge Beach successfully ran for Cook County Circuit Court Judge in the Sixth Subcircuit.
When the State of Illinois legislated the elimination of cash bail in 2023, Chief Judge Beach was instrumental in identifying, implementing and executing the plan to enable the Cook County Circuit Court to comply with the new law. Chief Judge Beach was next assigned to the Law Division, where he heard matters involving complex tort issues and catastrophic loss.
Over the course of his judicial career, Chief Judge Beach has presided over high-profile cases and contributed to judicial education regarding both DUI practice and technology in the courtroom. Chief Judge Beach has served on the Board of the Illinois Judges Association (IJA) and continues to serve on the IJA’s Committee for Judicial Education.
Chief Judge Beach was admitted to practice law in 1996. Before coming to the judiciary, Chief Judge Beach was a private criminal defense attorney, following service in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. His legal experience includes criminal law, civil law and appellate issues. Chief Judge Beach also has served on bar association committees and boards, and contributed to continuing legal education programs and pro bono efforts. Among his public service activities, Chief Judge Beach co-founded the Chicago Bar Association’s Pro Bono Summary Suspension Program and served as President of the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys. Chief Judge Beach frequently interacted with local media as a legal analyst, appearing on TV as an expert in DUI and traffic-related issues.
Prior to his legal career, Chief Judge Beach worked at his family’s business, Milco Manufacturing Co., after college and through law school. At that time, Milco had over 400 employees between Detroit, Michigan, and Mexico City, Mexico. At Milco, Chief Judge Beach spearheaded various projects, including the design and implementation of sophisticated time- and labor-tracking software to better target resource allocation. Immediately after law school, Chief Judge Beach co-founded The Art of Blues, an international clothing export company operating in the U.S. and Japan. The Art of Blues grew quickly, and Chief Judge Beach eventually sold his interest to his co-founder.
Chief Judge Beach was born in 1969 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Chuck and Josie Beach. He grew up in Detroit, Royal Oak and Troy, Michigan, where he attended Brother Rice High School. He received a B.S. in Finance and Insurance from Michigan State University in 1993 and his law degree from DePaul College of Law in 1996.
Chief Judge Beach is married to Virginia Beach, whom he met in law school. They brought up their three children in the City of Chicago and consider themselves proud Chicagoans. Chief Judge Beach’s community involvement includes working on the rehabilitation of Julia C. Lathrop Homes and service as President of Hamlin Park Neighbors.
Michael Bertucci
President
Michael Bertucci serves as the current President of the Justinian Society of Lawyers, continuing a proud family legacy as a second-generation member and president. He follows in the footsteps of his father, the Honorable Robert W. Bertucci (Ret.), who instilled in him a deep commitment to hard work, integrity and service, values that have guided Michael throughout his legal career.
His father’s career in the judiciary provided early exposure to the legal profession and influenced Michael’s interest in litigation and advocacy. During his childhood, Michael spent time in his father’s courtroom observing proceedings, and in high school he worked summer positions summarizing deposition transcripts for personal injury attorneys preparing for trial. These formative experiences solidified his decision to pursue a career in law.
Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a minor in English, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then attended Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he served as Vice President of the Chicago-Kent Justinian Society of Lawyers and received multiple CALI Excellence Awards. While in law school, he served as a judicial law clerk for the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division of Cook County, the Honorable Paul Biebel, and also clerked at a Chicago personal injury firm. Michael earned his Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent in 2017.
Following law school, Michael served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Jesse G. Reyes of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District. In this role, he conducted extensive legal research and reviewed appellate briefs across a broad spectrum of matters, including criminal law, medical malpractice, negligence, fraud, constitutional issues, statutory interpretation, subject matter jurisdiction and juror misconduct.
Michael then transitioned into private practice, focusing on catastrophic injury litigation. He began his career at Phillips Law Offices, where he worked on a team to secure multi-million-dollar judgments and settlements for his clients.
In 2022, Michael joined Mike Agruss Law, where he continued to secure multi-million-dollar settlements and judgments for injured plaintiffs, including a $5 million judgment for a client who lost his foot in a boating incident. He has earned a reputation for tenacity and results-driven advocacy both in and out of the courtroom. Michael’s dedication and leadership led to him being named a litigation partner at Mike Agruss Law in 2024 and selected as a Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers.
Beyond his legal practice, Michael is deeply committed to professional and community service. He has served on the Diversity Scholarship Foundation Scholarship Committee since 2018, mentored aspiring attorneys, volunteered with Cradles to Crayons, and served on the Justinian Society Executive and Membership Committees before being elected as an officer.
Michael is also a devoted husband and father. He and his wife, Christy, met in high school at St. Ignatius College Prep, and have been together ever since. Christy is a CPA and sales compensation manager at Morningstar. They reside in Western Springs with their two daughters, Amelia (5) and Hailey (3). The girls enjoy learning to golf, dancing, playing soccer, visiting the zoo, planning play dates and riding rollercoasters.
Michael is honored to lead the Justinian Society of Lawyers and looks forward to advancing its mission in the year ahead.
Hon. Jill Cerone-Marisie
1st Vice President
Hon. Jill Cerone-Marisie is the Presiding Judge of the Third Municipal District. She supervises 19 judges in Civil, Parentage, Traffic, Misdemeanor and Felony cases. She currently presides over Felony Mental Health and Veteran’s Courts. She graduated from the John Marshall Law School in 1990. Among her many accolades over the years, she’s also received the John Marshall Law School Distinguished Service Award. Judge Cerone-Marisie serves on the Illinois Supreme Court Justice and Mental Health Planning Committee. She has taught for the Admin. Office of Illinois Courts continuing education for judges.
Michael R. Grieco
2nd Vice President
Michael R. Grieco, Founding Partner at Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC, is focused on the practice areas of medical malpractice, construction negligence, sexual abuse, motor vehicle collisions and wrongful death. Michael obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2012, where he walked on the football team as a kicker. He went on to earn his Juris Doctor from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Michael is an active member of various professional organizations including the American Association for Justice, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Chicago Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association.
Sarah M. LeRose
3rd Vice President
Sarah M. LeRose is an attorney at Leonard J. LeRose, Jr., Ltd., and concentrates in probate law, focusing on contested guardianships (adult and minor), estate litigation, and administration. She represents individuals, fiduciaries, guardianship agencies and financial institutions. Since 2019, she has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star, awarded to only 2.5% of attorneys annually. Sarah was named an Emerging Lawyer by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company in 2018 and 2021. In 2017, she was elected to the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Board of Governors for Cook County, and in 2014, to the ISBA Assembly. Sarah graduated from Saint Louis University Law School in 2014 and received her B.A. from Southern Methodist University in 2011.
Dominic C. LoVerde
Treasurer
Dominic C. LoVerde is the founder of LoVerde Law, LLC, a personal injury firm focusing on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. He represents clients in cases involving defective and dangerous products, construction injuries, truck crashes, medical negligence, unsafe property conditions, and complex commercial disputes. He has several record-setting verdicts and settlements, and has been recognized as a Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Lawyer; U.S. News Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch; National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 civil plaintiff trial lawyers; Super Lawyers Rising Star; and an Emerging Lawyer by Law Bulletin Media. In 2022, Dominic received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Justice. In 2024, he was selected to join the Melvin M. Belli Society, an invitation-only national organization of plaintiff trial lawyers.
William J. Davy Jr.
Secretary
William J. Davy is the founder of the Law Office of William J. Davy PC. Founded in 2008, the law firm is dedicated to handling tax assessment issues for commercial, industrial, multi-family and residential property owners. He represents clients in front of the Cook County Assessor’s Office, the Cook County Board of Review, the Property Tax Appeal Board of Illinois and the Circuit Court of Cook County. Bill received his law degree from the DePaul University College of Law (2008), receiving a Certificate in Taxation Law. He has been an active member of the Justinian Society since 2006. In 2013, 2018 and again in 2020, Bill was selected as a Rising Star by SuperLawyer Magazine.
