Speaker Bio

Mark C. Palmer has served as Chief Counsel of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism since 2015, always dedicated to advancing the quality of justice and upholding the rule of law across Illinois. In this role, Mark supports efforts to promote professionalism, civility, and integrity within the legal and judicial systems.

His work includes spearheading statewide initiatives such a statewide lawyer mentoring program, courthouse professionalism trainings, and other educational programming for lawyers, judges, and law students.

Mark’s commitment to innovation in the legal profession extends to serving on the Illinois Supreme Court’s E-Business Policy Board and Illinois Judicial Conference’s AI Task Force. His thought leadership in legal technology areas earned him recognition as a 2023 vLex Fastcase 50 honoree for his contributions as one of “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators.”

Before joining the Commission, Mark was in private practice at Evans, Froehlich, Beth & Chamley in Champaign. His practice spanned litigation and transactional matters with a focus on commercial disputes, banking law, municipal law, and appellate advocacy in state and federal courts. He also served on the federal Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel, representing indigent defendants in federal courts.