Jack Joseph

Jack Joseph, 95, of Chicago, passed away on December 17, 2022. He was a lawyer’s lawyer: scholarly and gentlemanly, but also such a principled and steadfast advocate that he would become friends with and receive referrals from his former adversaries. He was devoted to the profession, with contributions to the practice that included advising on the 1970 Illinois Constitution and longstanding service to the Chicago, Illinois, and American Bar Associations. For many decades he served as a CBA manager, chaired or served on many bar committees (including those that helped draft Illinois law and rules of practice), wrote many articles, and taught continuing legal education courses. In his nearly 70 years as a member of the bar, he represented all manner of clients but had a particular affinity for underdogs. Early in his career he became part of the “Joint Efforts” group that represented American Indian tribes with claims against the United States. He represented several tribes, including the Peoria, Absentee Shawnee, and Eastern Shawnee, in claims involving large portions of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma. He argued and won a case in the United States Supreme Court that earned the Peoria Tribe over 120 years of interest on treaty debts, involving a theory that other tribes were then able to benefit from as well. Jack was also keenly interested in international law. He spoke Spanish fluently and represented many Spanish-speaking clients and organizations, including the Mexican Consulate in Chicago. He also spoke French and enjoyed reading the Revue International de droit comparé as much as the daily Illinois law advance sheets. Jack was born the day after Charles Lindbergh’s famous solo flight across the Atlantic, grew up in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, served as an occupying GI in Germany at the end of World War II, and received both his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Chicago, a school that fit his personality perfectly and for which he was a proud and involved alumnus. He did things his own way always—whether it was being the lone dissenting voice on legal industry trends such as compulsory continuing legal education, or walking the two miles to and from his office in Chicago’s Loop every day for over 50 years—but he did everything with courtesy, gentleness, and kindness. He was the devoted husband for 57 years of the late Gerda and traveled the world with her, and older brother of the late Burton, also a noted lawyer, whom he doted on and often collaborated with. He is survived by his grateful and loving family: daughter Maria (“Resi”) Chigas (VJ) and son James (Melissa); grandchildren Luca, Lexi, and Olivia; sister-in-law Babette; and nieces Jody (Doug), Kathy (Tom), and Amy (Herb).

Date: Sunday, February 26, 2023

Time: 4:00 pm

Place: Chicago Theater Works, 1113 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.weinsteinfuneralhomes.com for the Joseph family.