HR0788 LRB095 14059 GRL 39933 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Francis
4 D. Morrissey of Hyde Park, who passed away on October 11, 2007;
5 and
 
6     WHEREAS, Francis Morrissey grew up in St. Columbanus Parish
7 on the south side of Chicago before entering Quigley
8 Preparatory Seminary and the University of St. Mary of the
9 Lake, where he received a doctorate in sacred theology; he
10 entered law school at Loyola University, where he was a
11 Kirkland Scholar and the law review editor; and
 
12     WHEREAS, After graduating from Loyola University in 1958,
13 Francis Morrissey joined the law firm of Baker & McKenzie,
14 achieving the status of partner four years later; while working
15 at Baker & McKenzie, he prosecuted more than 500 civil appeals
16 and chaired firm management committees both nationally and
17 internationally; he also served as a bar examiner and later
18 president of the Illinois Board of Bar Examiners, the National
19 Conference of Bar Examiners, and the Illinois Appellate Lawyers
20 during his tenure; while serving as bar examiner and president,
21 he proposed a separate exam on ethics for prospective lawyers,
22 a practice now employed by 46 states nationwide; and
 

 

 

HR0788 - 2 - LRB095 14059 GRL 39933 r

1     WHEREAS, Following Francis Morrissey's retirement from
2 Baker & McKenzie in 1995, he began teaching at John Marshall
3 Law School in Chicago as a "distinguished visiting professor"
4 of ethics; his jovial nature and intimate familiarity with the
5 bar exam made him popular among fledgling lawyers; he also
6 joined the Office of Legal Services of the Archdiocese of
7 Chicago in December 1995, where he worked one day a week as pro
8 bono counsel in the areas of insurance law and risk and tort
9 law; and
 
10     WHEREAS, Francis Morrissey was a member of many law
11 organizations; he was a former member of the ABA House of
12 Delegates; he served on the Council of the Section of Legal
13 Education and on the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar
14 Association; he was elected to the American College of Trial
15 Lawyers and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers; he
16 served as editor of the CBA Record and the ABA's Brief; he
17 originated the Multistate Professional Responsibility
18 Examination; and he was a Fellow of the American Bar
19 Foundation; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Francis Morrissey is survived by his wife,
21 Corinne; his son, Francis P. Morrissey; his daughter, Mary
22 Kwasny; and his four grandchildren; therefore, be it
 
23     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

 

 

HR0788 - 3 - LRB095 14059 GRL 39933 r

1 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
2 mourn, along with his family and friends, the passing of
3 Francis D. Morrissey; and be it further
 
4     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
5 presented to the family of Francis D. Morrissey as an
6 expression of our sympathy.