| Professional Biography |
Judge Linda Perez was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County in December of 2018. She is currently assigned to the Juvenile Justice Division where she presides over all Juvenile Delinquency cases in the Fifth Municipal District/Bridgeview Courthouse. She was previously assigned to the First Municipal District -Traffic Division at the Daley Center in Chicago.
Judge Perez was born and raised in Chicago. She is a graduate of Lincoln Park High School -International Baccalaureate Program, received her Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Holyoke College, the oldest Women’s College in the country, and her Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University College of Law. Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Perez was an Administrative Assistant with the Law Offices of the Cook County Public Defender. After completing law school, she returned to the office to serve as an attorney in the Child Protection (Civil) Division of Juvenile Court. Her second assignment with the office was at the Sixth Municipal District/ Markham Courthouse, where she served most of her 16-year career as a defense attorney. During her tenure with the Markham office, she gained trial experience in Juvenile Justice, Domestic Violence, Misdemeanor and Traffic, and in the Felony Trial Division, at both the Markham and Leighton Criminal Courthouses. Judge Perez was also assigned to represent defendants in the Specialty Courts which includes, Drug Court, Veterans Court and Mental Health Court.
Judge Perez is a member of the Illinois Judges Association, the Illinois Latino Judges Association, the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Puerto Rican Bar Association. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund and the Northern Illinois University College of Law Board of Visitors. She has served as a mentor and has sponsored scholarships for college and law school students through the Northern Illinois University, the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund and the Mexican Patriotic Club of Chicago. Judge Perez was the 2020 recipient of the Northern Illinois University Public Service Award. She has served as a volunteer judge for Mock Trial Programs, a guest speaker for Career Days, volunteers at local food pantries, and for the Illinois Judge’s Association’s “Page It Forward” Program, designed for children K-4, to encourage the appreciation, value and enjoyment of reading.
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