Meet Bridget Duignan

Candidate for ISBA 3rd Vice President

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Bridget Duignan has been an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association, serving in many capacities since 2008. She was first elected to the Assembly in 2008 and served two terms. She went on to serve in the Board of Governors, first in the Under 37 Seat, then for an additional two terms, during which time she was elected and served both as Treasurer and Secretary. She currently serves as Chair of the Tort Section Council and as Secretary of the Illinois Lawyers’ Political Action Committee. She is an active member of the Standing Committee on Investments, the Standing Committee on Legislation and the Standing Committee for Member Services. She is proud to have had the opportunity to represent the ISBA twice at the Second District New Admittees Ceremonies, speaking to an auditorium of newly admitted attorneys about the benefits of being a part of this great organization.

Bridget is a managing partner at the personal injury law firm Latherow & Duignan, concentrating in medical negligence, construction negligence, sexual abuse, and wrongful death matters. She is active in the legal community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Bar Foundation and as Vice-Chair of the Fellows Committee. She currently chairs the Lawyers Care Committee, which provides support for lawyers and their families who have fallen on hard times. She serves on the Board of Managers in the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and serves as Chair of the Legislative Committee in the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.

Bridget has written, lectured, and advocated for women and diversity in the workplace during her entire career, including having written a column for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Women, Law & Politics, published on a monthly basis, covering topics that affect women in the workplace, including parental leave and equal pay. Bridget also testified before an Illinois House Committee on the Equal Rights Amendment and before the House Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Task Force on non-disclosure agreements. Her testimony on non-disclosure agreements prompted her to author the Workplace Transparency Act, signed in into law by Governor Pritzker in 2019. Bridget is the recipient of the ISBA Board of Governors Award for Service to the Bar, the ITLA President’s Award and was a 2020 recipient of the Top Women Lawyers in Leadership Award. Bridget is married to Jose Rivero, also an attorney and ISBA member practicing in the area of workers' compenstion. They have three children, Jose (12), Finian (10), and Ela (7).

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 2004
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2004

Education

• University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, (formerly John Marshall Law School), Chicago, IL
  • Juris Doctor, 2004
• Illinois State University, Normal, IL
  • Bachelor of Arts; Political Science, 2000

Practice Areas

• Medical Negligence
• Construction Negligence
• Sexual Abuse
• Wrongful Death

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Illinois Bar Foundation, appointed to Board of Directors 2016-2017, 2017-2018; 2019-Present; Chair Lawyers Care Committee; Secretary of the Fellows; Former Chair of Lawyers Rock Committee
• Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Appointed to Board of Managers; Member of the Women’s Caucus; Co-chair of Legislative Committee
• Illinois State Bar Association, Assembly (2008-2013), Board of Governors (2013-2019), Former Treasurer (2017-2018) and Secretary (2018-2019); current Chair Tort Section Council, Secretary of Illinois Lawyers’ Political Action Committee, serving on Standing Committee on Investments, Standing Committee on Membership and the Standing Committee on Legislation
• Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, Co-Chair of Legislative Committee
• American Association for Justice, Member

Published Works

• Former author of a monthly column in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Women, Law & Politics
• Construction Safety Act, The Chicago Bar Association Tort Litigation Committee’s newsletter, Issue 10, June, 2009
• May I Please See Your File? (a view of the self-critical analysis privilege), ITLA Journal, Vol. 10, Num. 2, Summer 2008
• Co-wrote Illinois’ Workplace Transparency Act, Public Act 101-0221

Lectures

• Lecturer on Trial Techniques for the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyer Association & the Chicago Bar Association
• Lecturer on the Rules of Evidence and Medical Records Law for Lorman Education Service