ALTON, Ill. – Simmons Hanly Conroy, a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, proudly announces that Partner Jo Anna Pollock has been elected First Vice President of the Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), one of the nation’s largest voluntary state bar associations with more than 28,000 members.
Pollock previously served as Second Vice President of the IBF. In her new role, she will continue to help lead the organization’s three-year strategic plan, which sets the direction for how the IBF serves Illinois attorneys and the broader legal community.
She will also continue her work with the IBF’s grants committee, which awards funding to statewide organizations that provide access to justice programs for those who might otherwise go without legal help, and the IBF’s law school clinic grant committee, which awards funding to law school clinics located across the state so students can learn and provide access to justice.
In her practice at Simmons Hanly Conroy, Pollock represents plaintiffs as a member of the firm’s Complex Litigation Department. She advises individuals, county governments, and businesses harmed through the wrongdoing of others, with a focus on public nuisance, environmental matters, class actions, and sex abuse litigation.
Pollock has spent the last 25 years in trial and appellate courts across the country, securing billions of dollars on behalf of her clients. She has served on the IBF’s Board of Directors since 2018 and formerly served as past chair of the ISBA’s Federal Civil Practice Section Council.
Pollock’s election to First Vice President reflects both her long-standing commitment to the legal profession and her belief that access to justice should be accessible to all. Her continued leadership within the IBF builds on years of service that span the courtroom, the boardroom, and the communities that rely on the legal system to protect their rights.
