Women's Bar Association of Illinois

Corresponding Secretary: Jessica Arong O'Brien

The life journey of Jessica A. O’Brien is one of determination, commitment, and inspiration. O’Brien has consistently demonstrated strong leadership in all she has set out to do, and has made a positive impact upon the profession and the community.

O’Brien was born and raised in Cebu City, Philippines. After graduating from high school, she emigrated to the United States. O’Brien received her Bachelor of Science in hotel and food administration and a minor in financial management from Boston University. She furthered her culinary arts education at Ecòle Hotêliêre de Laûsanne, Switzerland, and also received her Intensive Diploma from the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Thereafter, O’Brien spent half a decade at Caesar’s Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, quickly moving up the ladder from an entry-level management position to holding dual positions as Divisional Food and Beverage Trainer, charged with the training of approximately one thousand employees, and as Acting Food and Beverage Comptroller, responsible for managing a multi-million-dollar budget. While in those positions, she addressed important human resource issues such as sexual harassment, equal employment and upward mobility with a focus on diversity, productivity and cost reduction.

Although law is O’Brien’s second career, she has quickly distinguished herself as a leader in the profession and the community. A 1998 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, she was the first student to complete the JD/LLM joint degree program in Tax Law in three years. In 2002, O’Brien earned her second Masters in Law, with honors, in Employee Benefits. She is currently a Special Assistant Attorney General with the Illinois Department of Revenue, litigating cases involving corporate, partnership, and individual income and sales taxation. Prior to working in the public sector, O’Brien was an associate with Schuyler Roche & Zwirner PC, concentrating her practice in the areas of estate planning, employee benefits, and corporate taxation.

O’Brien has generously volunteered her time and talents to a number of bar associations and charitable endeavors, exhibiting visionary leadership in the process. In 2003, she helped organize the inaugural Swearing-In of Bar Presidents Ceremony when she served as president of the Filipino American Bar Association. O’Brien serves as president of the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, NFP; corresponding secretary for the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois; board member of the Filipino American Bar Association; executive board member of The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association; and leader-mentor for the Chicago Bar Association’s Lend-A-Hand to Youth Program. She is a past president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area, and immediate past chair of the Executive Committee of the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening. Most recently, O’Brien was appointed a board member of the prestigious Chicago Bar Foundation.

O’Brien’s substantial accomplishments have been recognized by the leaders in the legal community, resulting in her appointment by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2006 to serve as a hearing officer for the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, and in 2008, as a member of the Court’s Character and Fitness Committee, First District. Last year, O’Brien was appointed by Chief Judge James F. Holderman to serve as a member of the 2009 Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the Northern District Court of Illinois.

O’Brien’s invaluable contributions to the profession have been recognized by numerous organizations. She received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Asian American Bar Association, was named twice as “Most Valuable Member” by the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, and was honored with the Outstanding Service Award for Judicial Evaluation by Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans. In addition, O’Brien received the 2008 Cook County State’s Attorney Asian Pacific American Community Service Award, and was a recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Service Award from The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association. She has been named a Super Lawyer and a Rising Star by the publishers of the Chicago magazine, and has been inducted into the Chicago Filipino American Hall of Fame.

O’Brien is married to Brendan A. O’Brien, a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson PC. They are the proud parents of three daughters: Samantha, thirteen years old; Judy Rose, seven years old; and Vanessa Kate, four years old.

Jessica Arong O’Brien
Illinois Department of Revenue
100 W. Randolph St., Suite 7-301
Chicago, IL  60601
Phone:  312-814-1016
jarongobrien@sbcglobal.net
http://www.revenue.state.il.us

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