Archdiocese of Chicago
Office of Legal Services
Staff
John C. O'Malley, Director
(312) 534-5379
jomalley@archchicago.org
John C. O'Malley has served as the Director of Legal Services for the Archdiocese of Chicago since 1992. As Director, he is responsible for providing legal services to the Archdiocese, its agencies and parishes. Prior to his service as Director, he served as Administrator of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. As Administrator, he was responsible for the investigation and prosecution of charges of professional misconduct by lawyers in Illinois. He received his J.D. degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1975. He was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1975.
Practice Areas:
General Consultation
Legal Administration and Consultation
Maureen A. Murphy, Senior Counsel
(312) 534-8303
mmurphy@archchicago.org
Maureen Murphy is Senior Counsel for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She has been with the Archdiocese since 1993. Prior to joining the Archdiocese's legal department, she was in private practice for seven years and spent two years as an attorney for the City of Chicago. Maureen graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago in 1981 and received her law degree from Cornell University in 1984. Maureen was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1984.
Practice Areas:
Corporate/Contracts
Employment
Education
Parish/School Consultation
Tax
Trusts & Estates
Contact Maureen for questions regarding any of the above topics including questions regarding subpoenas, wage garnishments, lawsuits and administrative complaints, carnival contracts, raffles and charitable games, liquor licenses, political activity, custody issues.
Hortensia Carreira Esquivel, Senior Counsel
(312) 534-8783
hcarreira@archchicago.org
Hortensia C. Esquivel is Senior Counsel for the Archdiocese of Chicago and has served as in-house counsel for the Archdiocese since 2006. Prior to joining the Office of Legal Services at the Archdiocese, Hortensia worked in the Real Estate Practice Group at Winston & Strawn LLP for five years, assisting purchasers, sellers, developers, borrowers and lenders in the acquisition, disposition, financing, development, and leasing of commercial, industrial and multifamily properties. Prior to law school, Hortensia worked as a real estate development analyst for Bryan Cave LLP. Hortensia speaks English and Spanish. She received her A.B., cum laude, from Harvard College in 1993 and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Chicago Law School in 2001. Hortensia was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2001.
Practice Areas:
Real Estate Services
Please contact Hortensia regarding ownership/title, acquisitions, dispositions, leases, easements, zoning, annexation, landmarking, or disputes regarding ownership or leasing of real property.
Olga Rojas, Counsel
(312) 534-8332
orojas@archchicago.org
Olga Rojas has served as Counsel for the Archdiocese of Chicago since December 2008. Olga concentrates her practice in the area of employment based immigration. Prior to joining the Archdiocese of Chicago, Olga had concentrated her practice primarily in family-based immigration at two immigration law firms in Chicago. She also served as a Constituent Services Aide in the Office of U.S. Senator Peter G. Fitzgerald, handling immigration issues and Hispanic Affairs. Olga is a member of the American Immigration Lawyer's Association (AILA) and is currently the Secretary for the Chicago Chapter. She is the recipient of the 2005 Joseph Minsky Beacon of Light Award from the Chicago Chapter of AILA for her work on advocacy. She is currently Treasurer for the Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund of Illinois. Olga is a graduate of DePaul University College of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Olga was selected as one of fifteen Americans to participate in the Young Hispanic Leaders Program, which took place in Madrid and Santander, Spain in 2003. Olga was selected one of Illinois Rising Stars in 2008 and 2009 by Illinois Super Lawyers Magazine. She is fluent in Spanish. Olga was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1996.
Practice Areas:
Immigration
Please contact Olga with questions regarding any topics concerning Religious Worker Visas, Student Visas, Legal Permanent Residency, Naturalization (Citizenship) and I-9 Compliance for persons who serve the Archdiocese of Chicago or attend one of the Archdiocese of Chicago Seminaries or formation houses.
Michael C. Baird, Counsel
(312) 534-2553
mbaird@archchicago.org
Michael C. Baird is Counsel for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He joined the Archdiocese in March of 2008 after spending five years in private practice. Michael received a J.D. from DePaul University, College of Law, where he graduated Order of Barristers as an Executive Board Member of the Moot Court Society. He received a B.S. in Biological Science, in Secondary Education, from the University of Wyoming. Michael was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2003.
Practice Areas:
General Liability Services
Facilities & Construction
Contact Michael for questions regarding any of the above topics including questions regarding subpoenas, lawsuits and administrative complaints.
Jessica L. Schmidt, Counsel
(312) 534-8306
jeschmidt@archchicago.org
Jessica Schmidt is Counsel for the Archdiocese of Chicago. She joined the Office of Legal Services in February 2008. As a Staff Attorney, she supported the Office's various practice areas, including real estate and immigration. Since becoming Counsel in 2010, Jessica has overseen intellectual property and electronic communication issues, negotiated and reviewed technology contracts, and worked to develop litigation support processes. Jessica earned her B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University in 2004, and her J.D. and M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago in 2007. Jessica was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2007.
Practice Areas:
Corporate Compliance & Business Services
Information Services
Intellectual Property
Contact Jessica for questions regarding any of the above topics including questions regarding subpoenas, lawsuits and administrative complaints.
Jimmy G. Stathopoulos, Staff Attorney
(312) 534-5201
jstathopoulos@archchicago.org
Jimmy Stathopoulos is a Staff Attorney for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He has worked in the Archdiocese of Chicago's Office of Legal Services since 2006. Jimmy received his law degree from Loyola University Chicago in 2010 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005. Jimmy was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2010.
Practice Areas:
Corporate Compliance & Business Services
Information Services
Intellectual Property
Contact Jimmy for questions regarding any of the above topics including questions regarding subpoenas, lawsuits and administrative complaints.
Janet E. Leonatti, Legal Administrator
(312) 534-8319
jleonatti@archchicago.org
Jan Leonatti joined the Archdiocese of Chicago in August 1992 and the Office of Legal Services in July 1994.
Jan is responsible for the business function and overall operations of the Office of Legal Services and supports all Legal Services staff in their individual roles.
Pawel E. Boruch, Legal Assistant
(312) 534-8789
pboruch@archchicago.org
Pawel joined the Office of Legal Services in July 2005. Pawel earned his Master of Law degree from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland in 2002, and LL.M. degree from Loyola University in Chicago in 2011. He is fluent in Polish. Pawel serves as paralegal support to all in-house Archdiocesan attorneys. His primary focus is immigration.
Donna J. Demars, Legal Secretary
(312) 534-8288
ddemars@archchicago.org
Donna Demars has been with the Office of Legal Services since March 1999. Donna provides secretarial support to John O'Malley, Olga Rojas and Michael Baird.
Andrea C. Gaspar, Legal Secretary
(312) 534-2027
agaspar@archchicago.org
Andrea Gaspar joined the Office of Legal Services in March 2009. Andrea provides secretarial support to Maureen Murphy, Hortensia Esquivel and Jessica Schmidt.