Robert J. Ruiz, Esq.

As Chief of the Public Interest Bureau of the State's Attorney's Office of Cook County, Illinois, Robert J. Ruiz is responsible for overseeing civil and criminal litigation in the areas of child support, community prosecutions, consumer fraud, environment and energy, and issues affecting seniors and persons with disabilities. He plays an important role in the development of legal policy for the State's Attorney's Office.

Previously, Mr. Ruiz served as solicitor general for the State of Illinois from 1988 to 1991. He is a former chief of the Industrial Commission Division of the Illinois Attorney General's Office and Deputy Chief of the Consumer Division of the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Mr. Ruiz has served as national President of the Hispanic National Bar Association, President of the Mexican American Lawyers' Association, and Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of the Latin American Bar Association. He was a founding member and served as interim Vice President of the National Hispanic Prosecutors Association and was first President of the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees Association. He is a member of the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar.

In education, Mr. Ruiz serves as Chairman of the Board of the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, a member of the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), and is an Ambassador for the University of Illinois. He served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of State Colleges and Universities in Illinois from 1991 through 1993, and was appointed to the State Committee on Minority Student Access and Achievement. He served on the Illinois State Pension Board, which oversees the $4 billion State University Retirement System. He has served as a member of the advisory committee of National Lewis University, the DePaul University College of Law Visiting Committee, the Alumni Council of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Illinois Alumni Board of Directors. He was named to the Committee on Continuing Education for the American Law Institute with the American Bar Association. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of USO of Illinois and the Chicago Metro History Education Center.

For his dedication to the community, Mr. Ruiz was chosen to participate in the prestigious Leadership Greater Chicago Program. This illustrious program has an effective network dedicated to examining the most important issues that affect the city of Chicago. He continues to be active in the Alumni Association of the Fellowship.

A graduate of DePaul University College of Law and the University of Illinois at Chicago, Ruiz is involved in numerous professional and community activities. He resides in Chicago with his wife, Marcy, and has three sons: Michael, Samuel and Max.