Rockford attorney appointed to fill vacant McHenry County judge seat

A Rockford attorney is slated to fill a vacant associate judge seat in McHenry County, according to a news release from the McHenry County court administration office Wednesday.

Of the 23 attorneys who applied for the 22nd Judicial Circuit judgeship, Jennifer L. Johnson, of the Rockford-based firm, Hinshaw and Culbertson LLP, McHenry County's circuit judges selected Johnson for the position.

Before her appointment, Johnson was a partner at Hinshaw and Culbertson, which relocated in 2009 from Crystal Lake to Rockford, according to the release.

While at Hinshaw, Johnson primarily litigated professional negligence cases and represented physicians, hospitals and religious institutions. She has experience in both federal and state court assisting clients with personal injury and employment related matters, according to the release.

Initially practicing law in Indiana, Johnson spent the first five years of her legal career litigating automobile accident cases with a leading firm in southwest Indiana, according to the release.

She graduated summa cum laude from Marian University in Indianapolis and earned her law degree at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Johnson lives with her family in the village of Lakewood. Court officials have not yet set a date for Johnson’s swearing-in ceremony.