2024 Professional Responsibility Boot Camp for Workers’ Compensation Lawyers - 2/12/2024

Mary F. Andreoni is Ethics Education Counsel for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) where she develops and implements the ARDC’s ethics education initiatives, including the ARDC Ethics Inquiry Program and the Illinois Professional Responsibility Institute, where she is also an instructor. She has authored several articles including the ARDC publication, Client Trust Account Handbook and spoken at hundreds of programs on legal ethics.

Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Andreoni was law clerk to Illinois Appellate Court Justice Mel R. Jiganti and later practiced commercial litigation with the law firm of Peterson & Ross in Chicago. While in practice, she also served as a board member on the ARDC Inquiry and Hearing Boards. Active in the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), she has served on a number of committees, and is past chair of the CBA Professional Responsibility Committee (2014-2015). Ms. Andreoni received her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago.

Dr. Diana Uchiyama, JD, PsyD, CAADC—Executive Director at the Lawyers’ Assistance Program "LAP"

Dr. Diana Uchiyama is the Executive Director of the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program (LAP).  Prior to joining LAP, she was the Administrator of Psychological Services for DuPage County and ran a licensed outpatient substance use treatment program, including a Mentally Ill Substance Abuse (MISA) program and Seeking Safety program for individuals with substance use problems, who were also trauma survivors.  While at DuPage County she also ran a 26-week Domestic Batterer Intervention Program for a court mandated population of clients. 

Dr. Uchiyama has also worked for the Kane County Diagnostic Center, as both a Staff Psychologist and Juvenile Drug Court Coordinator, and has an extensive background doing court ordered evaluations including psychological, sanity, fitness, fitness to parent, and sex offender evaluations.  She was also a licensed sex offender evaluator in the State of Illinois.   She has implemented numerous changes to court ordered programs both in Kane and DuPage County and is a SAMSHA certified trauma informed care trainer.  Dr. Uchiyama also conducts therapy with adults and adolescents, is a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and has an Advanced Mindfulness Training Certificate, teaching mindfulness skills to others in order to increase their wellbeing.

Prior to obtaining her masters and doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Dr. Uchiyama was an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County working in various felony courtrooms at 26^th and California in Chicago for over a decade. She obtained her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law.

She is a prolific writer and nationally recognized speaker in the areas of judicial/ lawyer/law student health and wellness issues throughout the country.

Attorney Bridget Duignan grew up on the south side of Chicago. Her desire to help others led her to join the legal profession. Prior to joining Latherow & Duignan, Bridget served as Assistant Counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. There, she analyzed proposed legislation, assisted House Members during debate and served as the Parliamentarian to the State Government and Insurance Committees. Prior to that, Bridget worked as a defense attorney in workers’ compensation and employment law. She gained valuable experience there, seeing injury claims from a defense perspective and seeing the ways big corporations make litigation difficult for injured and maligned individuals. Bridget uses this knowledge to help those injured because of others’ negligence.

Christine Jagodzinski is a shareholder at Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie, & Lowry, P.C., a Chicago-based workers’ compensation defense firm representing employers in the Midwest. Ms. Jagodzinski has defended workers’ compensation claims on behalf of employers and insurance companies in Illinois for the last 18 years, frequently trying cases and handling appeals. She also enjoys lecturing on topics involving workers’ compensation.

In 1998, Ms. Jagodzinski received her B.S. degree in Criminal Justice from Loyola University Chicago, graduating Summa Cum Laude with Honors and Phi Beta Kappa while playing volleyball for Loyola. In 2000, she received a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Loyola University Chicago. Ms. Jagodzinski later earned her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago in 2002, graduating Cum Laude. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association, and the Chicago Bar Association. Outside of work, Ms. Jagodzinski enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and three children.