Personal
First and foremost, Judge Karen Simpson is a mother and a wife. Karen and her husband, Van, have been married for 27 years and have one wonderful daughter who attends medical school in Chicago. Family is very important, and Karen and Van have made their home in Campton Hills for the past 25 years.
Karen is a first generation American. Karen’s mother immigrated from Ireland and her father from Scotland. Growing up during the Depression, they embraced the American Dream. Paying her tuition was not an option for her parents, so Karen worked her way through college, post-graduate and law school. Those experiences taught Karen the meaning of a strong work ethic.
Judicial Experience
In 1997, Karen was appointed to serve as a Judge in the 16th judicial circuit, which includes Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties.
Her extensive, 12 years of experience has afforded her the opportunity to hear and decide a wide range of cases including traffic, misdemeanor, mental health, family matters, varied civil litigation, child abuse, criminal felony, juvenile delinquency and juvenile drug court. She has presided over both bench and jury trials. Additionally she served as the presiding judge of the juvenile division.
Judicial Education
In addition to keeping current in her required judicial education and attending numerous conferences and seminars since being on the bench, Karen completed General Jurisdiction Education at the National Judicial College Reno, Nevada in 2000. She attended the Advanced Judicial Academy in Springfield, Illinois in 2007. In 2008 she completed the National Drug Court Institute Comprehensive Drug Court Judicial Training in Annapolis, Md.
Legal Experience
Karen taught high school before attending Law School. She practiced law for 19 years, first, as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Kane County, then in the law firm of Morelli and Simpson in Aurora and thereafter in the law firm of Larson and Simpson in Batavia. Her practice’s trial work focused mainly on child related matters in family, juvenile and criminal areas. She also served as a hearing officer for the Kane County Merit Commission and the West Aurora School Board.
As a trial attorney, Karen handled a wide variety of cases and represented clients before the following courts and agencies:
- Illinois Circuit Court
- Illinois Appellate Court
- Federal Tax Court
- Illinois Human Rights Agency
- Social Security Agency
- State of Illinois Employment Board
Professional Affiliations
- On Board of Directors for the Illinois Judge’s Association
- Member of the following: Kane County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association and Women’s Bar Association
- Former member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
- Former board member for the Mutual Ground Association
Education
After graduating from the University of Illinois at Champaign, Karen obtained her master’s degree from Rosary College in River Forest, IL. She then went on to obtain her law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago.