Maggie Mendenhall Casey

Maggie Mendenhall Casey

Host of @theBar

Maggie Mendenhall Casey is the General Counsel for the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, a City of Chicago agency focused on police accountability. As General Counsel, Maggie advises elected and appointed officials on compliance and policy issues. Prior to serving as General Counsel, she was a Supervising Assistant Corporation Counsel with the City of Chicago, Corporation Counsel’s Office. In that role, she litigated wrongful death, premises liability, and Freedom of Information Act lawsuits including representing taxpayers in jury trials.

Prior to working for the City, Ms. Mendenhall Casey served as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, advocating on behalf of victims of crime. While working as a prosecutor, she tried numerous cases to verdict including jury trials, felonies, and sexual assaults.

Ms. Mendenhall Casey serves as Parliamentarian for the Black Women Lawyers’ Association. She co-hosts the CBA’s national award-winning podcast, @TheBar, and serves as an arbitrator for the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. In 2023 she received the Next Generation Award from the Cook County Bar Association. In 2022 she received the Milton Gray Award from the Chicago Bar Association.

Ms. Mendenhall Casey received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago.

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Recent Episodes
November 14, 2024

Fraudster Tom Girardi Caught Red-Handed—Bravo!

You may have seen Tom Girardi’s name in multiple places—once, as a famous and respected plaintiff’s attorney; notably, as a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband; and, notoriously, as a swindler who...

October 24, 2024

Who Picks Your Presidential Candidate, Anyway? — A Conversation with DNC Delegate Aurora Austriaco

In August, the city of Chicago welcomed the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and delegates formally selected Kamala Harris as the nominee for President following President Biden’s departure from the race. But, let’s...

June 27, 2024

Celebrating 150 Years of The Chicago Bar Association: An Interview with Former CBA Executive Director Terry Murphy

The Chicago Bar Association is celebrating 150 years of championing justice, building connections and making an impact in Chicago and beyond. In this episode, Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey talk with...

January 10, 2024

Remembering U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

Michael Scodro, former clerk to the Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor and current partner with the law firm of Mayer Brown, joins Jon Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey to discuss Justice O’Connor’s career,...

October 25, 2023

The Northwestern University Hazing Scandal Explained

Jon Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey are joined by attorney Patrick Salvi II to discuss the Northwestern University hazing scandal that has made national headlines in recent months. Salvi represents several former...

September 27, 2023

The World’s Most Famous Doll (Who Shall Remain Nameless for Legal Reasons) Goes to Court to Protect Her Brand

With the success of Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster movie, we are once again living in a doll’s world. Toymaker Mattel has long had a reputation for aggressively defending its Barbie-related...

February 28, 2023

A Closer Look at the U.S.’ First Reparations Program with Evanston’s Mayor Daniel Biss

Should reparations be given, and if so, who should get reparations and what form should they take? These are questions the U.S. has been pondering since General Sherman made the largely unanswered...

February 10, 2023

The Tylenol Murders: Discussing New Evidence in the Unsolved Case

In fall 1982, seven people in the Chicagoland area died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, and no one knew why or who might be next. Law enforcement quickly determined that the poisoned...

January 11, 2023

Cheri Bustos and Gretchen Carlson: A Discussion About Legal Reforms for Sexual Assault and Harassment Victims

Recently retired Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and journalist and television personality, Gretchen Carlson, join our hosts Jonathan Amarilio and Maggie Mendenhall Casey for discussion about the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault...

October 19, 2022

Legal Ghost Stories with Author-Historian Adam Selzer

In this special Halloween episode, @theBar gets into the spooky spirit with author-historian, podcaster and tour guide Adam Selzer of Mysterious Chicago. Adam regales hosts Trisha Rich and Maggie Mendenhall Casey with...

April 20, 2022

The Science of Legal Writing: An Interview with Judge Robert Bacharach of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

In this edition, host Jonathan Amarilio and co-host Margaret Mendenhall Casey are joined by Judge Robert Bacharach of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to discuss his recent book...

March 30, 2022

@theBar from the Mailbag

Listen to the first-ever mailbag episode of CBA’s @theBar! Host Jonathan Amarilio is joined by co-hosts Trisha Rich, Maggie Mendenhall Casey and Jennifer Byrne for a conversation that is even more unscripted than...