COOK COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY EILEEN O’NEILL BURKE (’90) DELIVERS CHICAGO-KENT COLLEGE OF LAW COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 18, 2025
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Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke (’90) Delivers Chicago-Kent College of Law Commencement Address
CHICAGO — Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke today delivered the commencement address to Chicago-Kent College of Law’s 2025 graduating class at UIC’s Dorin Forum. Burke, a 1990 graduate of the school, reflected on the full-circle moment that brought her to the stage to address more than 350 JD and LLM recipients and their families. When Burke noted that she was the first in her family to attend law school, nearly the entire graduating class raised their hand in response to her question about who else was celebrating the same milestone.
Burke reflected on her legal career and all that Kent made possible for her — ranging from professional success as a prosecutor, defense attorney, judge and appellate court justice to being the place where she met her husband of 35 years. Painting lawyers as problem solvers, Burke cited three foundational elements to effective advocacy: good judgment, strong ethics, and self-care:
As lawyers, we have an immense responsibility to those who look to us to get justice, to get a resolution, and to fair treatment. In order to do that effectively, I have found that there are three things that are foundational: good judgment, strong ethics, and self-care. Sometimes the practice of law can be grueling. These principles do not simply sustain us; they define our character, they shape our legacy, and, most importantly they uphold the public’s trust in the justice system.
Burke’s concluded by wishing that each future lawyer “find challenges worth tackling, work that inspires you, and relationships that you cherish.
The full remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow. The address can be viewed in full HERE. Burke’s address begins at the 42-minute mark.
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Remarks of Eileen O’Neill Burke to Chicago-Kent’s 2025 Commencement, as prepared for delivery:
Thank you, Dean Krug. It is truly an honor for me to speak to you today. This is a full-circle moment for me to be here giving the commencement because so much began for me at Kent. The very first day of my first year of law school I spied my husband John Burke across the room and I decided right then and there that he was the one. I just had to convince him, and his girlfriend, that he was the one for me. Thirty-five years and four children later, it is just one more vital portion of my life that I can say Kent is responsible for.
I was raised by a single mom on the Northwest side of Chicago. Like many of you, I was the first in my family to go to law school. If I can break from the script for a minute, can our graduates raise your hand if you are the first lawyer in your family? OK, for all of you, a word of warning: you are going to be on the receiving end of a lot of lawyer jokes. I had one relative who gave me a whole set of mugs which, quoting Shakespeare, said, “the first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” That was so sweet.
I think the question I get asked most often is why would I step down from the appellate court to take on being the Cook County State’s Attorney. The appellate court is truly a dream job for an introvert like myself. You read and you write for eight hours a day, with little to no human contact. I like to refer to the appellate court building as a building of cat people. So, I left the comfort of the cat people building to jump into the hornet’s nest of Chicago politics. Let’s just say it was like leaving a lovely pickle ball tournament to being deposited in the middle of a Klingon death match.
But my answer to why I would do this crazy thing is fairly simple: I love Chicago. I was born and raised here. My family has been here since before the Chicago fire. Our justice system was not working for anyone, not victims, not defendants. But big problems give us the chance for big solutions.
Which is what each of us in the legal profession is called to do every day. LAWYERS SOLVE PROBLEMS. In any area of law you go into, people come to us in crisis and our job is to get them through that crisis to the best of our ability. As lawyers, we have an immense responsibility to those who look to us to get justice, to get a resolution, and to get treated fairly.
In order to do that effectively, I have found that there are three things that are foundational: good judgment, strong ethics, and self-care. Sometimes the practice of law can be grueling. These principles do not simply sustain us; they define our character, they shape our legacy, and, most importantly they uphold the public’s trust in the justice system.
So, let’s start with judgment. Having good judgment is the cornerstone. It separates fair and just decisions from just flipping the coin. Solid judgment has to guide every decision, from the cases we choose to pursue, to the arguments we make in court, and even to how we treat opposing counsel on our cases.
You are entering a profession. Even though we live in a big city, the legal community is very small in this way. You will develop a reputation very quickly. The people who are the most successful in this career are not the hard-charging, win-at-all-cost type. They are the people who are prepared every single time they are in court or meeting with a client. They are the people who try to reach a resolution that all sides can live with. They are the attorneys who keep the battle in the courtroom and not in the hallway. I’m not saying to be a pushover. But the time for combat is limited. When the battle is over, shake hands with opposing counsel.
You won’t start off knowing everything you need to know to have good judgment, so find someone who does. Assemble a kitchen cabinet of advisors who you can run things by, people whose judgment you trust. And little by little, case by case, you will acquire your sea legs, you will know how to approach certain cases. Stay up on your CLE’s — not only is it required but it is part and parcel of developing solid judgement.
But good judgement is rendered meaningless without a foundation of ethics. Our profession demands a level of integrity that leaves no room for shortcuts or conflicts of interest. The public entrusts us with their lives, their freedoms, and their futures. That trust must never be taken for granted. Ethics is not just about avoiding wrongdoing; it is about actively striving to do the right thing. It’s about honesty in our words, and fairness in our practice.
Strong ethics means never losing sight of the people behind the cases. It’s easy to get lost in the motions, the arguments and the deadlines. It’s easy to get clouded when opposing counsel makes our blood boil. Every attorney has been there.
But at the heart of every case is a person— sometimes scared, sometimes vulnerable, who are deserving of our best effort.
Finally, I want to talk about a topic we often avoid: self-care. This work is difficult. Being a lawyer is hard; if it were easy everyone would do it. It’s emotionally taxing, intellectually demanding and often unrelenting. Yet too often we treat self-care as an afterthought — or worse, as a luxury we cannot afford or have time for. Let’s be clear: self-care is not a luxury. It is a necessity. An overworked attorney cannot effectively advocate for their clients. To care for ourselves is to care for the people we serve. Self-care looks different for everyone. For some, it’s time with family, for others it’s exercise, meditation or simply a quiet moment away from the demands of the job. Whatever form it takes, make it a priority.
You are about to embark on a really important job. We change people’s lives. And that can be a burden, but it is also a gift. I truly believe that we have the greatest justice system in the world, and we all get to be a part of making sure that we continue to be a guiding light for everyone.
My wish for you is to find challenges worth tackling, work that inspires you, and relationships that you cherish.
Congratulations and welcome to the greatest job in the world.