Judge Paula M. Daleo: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

Hon. Paula M. Daleo is a judge for the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. She was appointed to the Circuit Court by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2003 and was subsequently elected to the seat the following year.

While on the bench, Daleo has held assignments in the First and Fourth Municipal Districts of the Municipal Department.

Daleo received a B.A. from Mundelein College in 1974. She went on to complete a J.D. at John Marshall Law School in 1978.

Before her appointment, Daleo had served as an executive assistant state’s attorney and chief of the Special Prosecutions Bureau of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Prior to that, Daleo was a sole practitioner at her own private practice (1990 to 1996), where she specialized in criminal defense, personal injury, real estate, probate and estate, and financial planning.

She entered the private sector after serving for twelve years as an assistant state’s attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, holding supervisorial positions in the Gang Crimes Unit, Financial Crimes Unit, Arson Unit, Cold Case Unit, and the Auto Theft Unit.

Daleo began her legal career as an attorney at the Law Offices of Joseph V. Roddy in 1978.