Jensen Smolka Chairs Commercial Banking, Collections and Bankruptcy Section Council of Illinois State Bar Association

Julia Jensen Smolka is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Commercial Banking, Collections and Bankruptcy Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association.

The Section is comprised of Illinois lawyers from all over the state who meet to discuss trends in commercial litigation, banking law, collections and bankruptcy. It offers opinions on legislation that is pending in the Illinois General Assembly, and in some cases, drafts its own legislation for presentation to elected officials. Recently, Julia has been involved in the review and drafting of legislation regarding the Illinois mortgage foreclosure process. The Committee has attempted to provide input on the real world effect of laws proposed by state legislators.

As chair of the section, Julia also oversees the planning of continuing legal education for Illinois lawyers and publication of the official section newsletter, which has a circulation of over 1500 attorneys. “It is very exciting to serve on such a distinguished panel with lawyers and judges from all over the state”, she said. “Having direct input on the laws that are introduced in the state legislature, and being able to draft laws which directly affect our clients, is very rewarding.”

Julia was appointed to the Section Council seven years ago in recognition of her standing as a leading lawyer in these areas of the law. She will complete her one year term as Chairperson of the Section in June 2011, at the Illinois State Bar Association’s annual meeting.

The Commercial Banking, Collections and Bankruptcy Section of the Illinois State Bar Association maintains a website at http://www.isba.org/sections/commercial.