Judge Joseph D. Panarese: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

Hon. Joseph D. Panarese is an associate judge for the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. He was elected to the Circuit Court by the Cook County Circuit judges in 2007.

While on the bench, Panarese has held an assignment in the Civil Jury Section of the First Municipal District.

He received a B.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1985. Panarese went on to complete a J.D. at Western Michigan University, Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1988.

After law school, he entered into private practice, where he remained for two years.

Panarese left the private sector in 1990 to work as an assistant state’s attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, a position he held until returning to private practice in 2000. By the following year, Panarese was serving as chief of staff in the City of Chicago Clerk’s Office.