Hoffman Estates names village attorney

A retired Cook County circuit court judge will take the Hoffman Estates village attorney's post starting Oct. 1.

Trustees unanimously approved Mayor William McLeod's nomination of Arthur Janura on Monday night. Janura takes over for retiring village attorney Richard Williams, who served 34 years in Hoffman Estates.

Williams lauded his replacement and said he's known Janura for 25 years.

"You're going to enjoy the service you'll receive the next few years," Williams said.

Janura is a partner at Arnstein and Lehr LLP, which has three offices in Illinois, including one in Springfield. Janura said his office's resources, including 150 attorneys, will be a boon for the village.

Monday's was Williams' last village board meeting. He'll move to Florida, where he said he'll continue to practice law. Williams stresses he'll continue to be available to village officials via e-mail, much to the delight of Trustee Gary Pilafas.

"It's good to know that Michelle and me and the kids all have a place to stay when we're in Florida," Pilafas joked.

Williams has seen the village grow since he arrived, and even represented the village twice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you -- you've done an excellent job all these years," Trustee Karen Mills said. "We wouldn't be where we are without you."

Janura's father, who shares the same name, was the former general superintendent of the Cook County Forest Preserve District, and even has a stretch of woods off Shoe Factory Road named after him. The elder Janura died last month at his Inverness home in a storm-related accident.