The Durkin Brothers of Illinois
Many brothers attend law school and launch legal careers in the same state, but few have attained the public successes Jim and Thomas Durkin have.
Sixty-three-year-old Jim, seven years younger than Tom, was appointed to the Illinois House of Representatives about five years after graduating from law school and became House Republican leader 18 years later.
Tom got his start as one of the first law clerks hired by Judge Stanley Roszkowski of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before becoming a judge in the same district over three decades later.
Now they’re in their second acts. Tom has been serving on senior status since December, and Jim joined Chicago-based Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres as a partner in March.
“When we get together it’s not Leader Durkin or Judge Durkin, we’re a regular family,” Jim said.