Archive Webinar - 6/30/2022 - Noon CLE Seminar - Commission Update: Procedural Changes

On March 15, 2019, Governor JB Pritzker appointed Michael J. Brennan as a Chairman of the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission. He was previously appointed and confirmed as a Commissioner in 2013. His new 4 year term, as Chairman, will run through January of 2023.

Prior to serving as a Commissioner, Mr. Brennan was a Martindale-Hubbell Peeminent AV-rated attorney who litigated numerous reported cases in the Illinois Appellate Courts and the Illinois Supreme Court. He Was among the principal authors of the Larson Illinois Workers’ Compensation Handbook. He has been appointed as a Special Assistant Attorney General to the Self-Insured Advisory Board on past occasions.
Mr. Brennan is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and Workers’ Compensation Lawyers' Association. He has been accepted as a Member of the Gerson Lehrman Group Law Council. He has been elected by his peers as an Illinois Super Lawyer, an Illinois Leading Lawyer and is listed in Best Lawyers of America.

Michelle L. LaFayette is a partner with the Ganan & Shapiro, P.C., a mid-sized-workers’ compensation defense firm with offices in Peoria and Chicago, Illinois.   Michelle handles workers’ compensation claims on behalf of employers and insurance companies in Illinois.  Michelle received a B.A. in history/political science from Illinois College in 1995 where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Michelle earned her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in 2000.  Michelle was admitted to the Illinois Bar in November, 2000.  Michelle is a past-member of the Illinois State Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Law Section Council, having served as a past-Chair to the Council.  She is currently a member of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association Board of Directors.  Outside of work, Michelle is an avid reader, has interests in history, especially American history, and is a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks and Green Bay Packers.