A Varna man’s murder re-trial is scheduled for jury selection on July 10. But the woman defending him won’t be a lawyer again until the next day. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission gave Maureen Williams a 90-day suspension starting April 11.
Williams got a traffic ticket in Woodford County in 2019. In 2020, she asked a friend who worked for a Peoria church to lie for her about doing community service hours there. Williams herself reported the problem to the ARDC after a probation officer contacted the church to verify the community service. Williams said she “cut corners” and figured her volunteer work for another organization should have counted for enough time.
That got her two years of probation and more community service hours. The ARDC complaint took longer to resolve with the final decision announced Tuesday. How her suspension will affect 28-year old Bradley French in a 2015 bow-and-arrow murder case remains to be seen. If scheduled court dates stay the same, Williams won’t be allowed to represent him when jury selection starts or at an evidence hearing a few days before.
In her favor, an ARDC hearing board found that Williams acknowledged that her misconduct was very serious, she expressed genuine remorse, and she’s done many good things including providing free legal help and being active in professional organizations. Also, what she did didn’t involve clients she represented. However, the board also found that an experienced defense attorney should have known better. Another factor in aggravation was getting her friend involved.