Firm History

The Law Firm was established over 50 years ago by our founding senior partner, James J. Ahern (1930-2011). Mr. Ahern’s guiding principle in establishing his law firm was preparation, grounded in academic excellence with a willingness to engage in courtroom litigation.

Mr. Ahern enjoyed a State and National reputation for excellence in the area of DUI Defense. He, along with his partners co-authored Chapters I and II of the IICLE Premier Publication “Handling DUI Cases” which became the gold standard for judges, prosecutors and practitioners across the State of Illinois.

Mr. Ahern was active with the Illinois legislature as a representative of the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations regarding DUI. For over twenty years, he was a member of The Executive Committee of the Illinois Traffic Conference. Mr. Ahern served as a member of the CBA Board of Managers and was the General Chairman of the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the CBA. He has twice served as Chairman of the Traffic Court Committee of the CBA. He was member of the Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs of the National Safety Council, Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Performance Evaluation and Division of Traffic Safety DUI Advisory Council of the Illinois Department of Transportation. In 1992, Mr. Ahern received an award from the ISBA Board of Governors for exemplary service to the profession for his work in the field of traffic laws by writing, lecturing and organizing educational programs; and, in 2001, he received the Laureate Award from the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers which was established in 1999 to recognize outstanding members of the profession and perpetuate their records of achievements as role models.

Mr. Ahern worked closely with his partners of over twenty years; the Honorable Edward M. Maloney and Thomas M. Moran. While we lost Mr. Ahern in 2011, his legacy remains in the law firm he dedicated his life to establishing.