Ronald J. Szymanski is a noted legal professional who spent 34 years as an assistant public defender for the Cook County Public Defenders in Chicago. Retiring in 2012, he is proud of his former military service, serving with the U.S. Army for one year and eight months after obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Notably, he served 15 months in Korea and five months in the United States for a total serving time of 20 months, thus fulfilling his army requirement. He received an early release of four months and his military occupational specialty was Military Policeman. He served in the states of Louisiana, Georgia and Wisconsin at Forts Polk, Gordon and McCoy. He achieved a rank of SPEC-4 and acting sergeant while serving in Korea. While in Korea, he worked in the United Service Organizations (USO) by handing out ping pong balls and paddle pool balls, magazines for reading, and playing records for the soldiers when he was off duty. Subsequent to receiving a juris doctorate, he was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois, as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1999.
Mr. Szymanski was a deputy sheriff in theft court in the office of the Sheriff ’s Department at the Chicago Police Headquarters. Maintaining membership with the Department of Veteran Affairs, he attributes his success to his diligence and tenacity in the face of challenges, as well as his robust military experience and his parents. He was a legislative aide to Illinois State Senator LeRoy Lemke, where he conducted research.
When asked of his career highlights, Mr. Szymanski notes that he always enjoys having a long line of customers, keeping him busy every day of his career. He derived great pleasure from the work and from helping his clients with their legal needs. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a JD from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
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