Mei**, Dan-Feng

Over the course of Colleen’s 30+ years as a practicing attorney, Colleen has acquired a broad range of legal experience, from both the plaintiff and defense perspectives, as well as in the public and private sectors.

Colleen served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois for 16 years before starting her own Wheaton employment law firm in 1996. She started her career in the Attorney General's Office, General Law Division where she gained extensive trial experience while representing state agencies and government officials in federal and state court, and before numerous administrative agencies. Her caseload included all manner of complex civil litigation issues, including civil rights actions, Title VII employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, and other employment law-related matters.

In 1986, Colleen became the director of the Illinois Attorney General's DuPage County Regional Office where she prosecuted, civilly and criminally, violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act and related criminal statutes, and supervised a staff that investigated and mediated over 1500 consumer complaints a year. During this time, she worked closely with state, federal, and local law enforcement agencies, including the U. S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, IRS, Postal Inspector, Secretary of State Police Department, and local police departments. Under Colleen's direction, the Attorney General’s consumer fraud enforcement efforts in DuPage County increased dramatically. In addition, her caseload included representation of the Illinois Department of Labor in wage claim actions and the Illinois Department of Employment Security in matters related to unemployment compensation. So, when Colleen decided to take the leap into private practice after having served as an Assistant Attorney General for 16 years under the direction of five (5) different Attorneys General (both Republican and Democrat), her decision to focus her practice on employment and consumer law matters was an easy choice.

In the private sector since 1996, Colleen now concentrates her practice on employment law matters. She represents and counsels both employees and businesses on employment issues.

Colleen’s commitment to her profession is demonstrated by her active involvement and the leadership roles she has undertaken in legal organizations. Colleen is currently the president of the DuPage County Bar Association (DCBA) (the 3rd woman to serve as president in its 132-year history) and she has served as a member of the DCBA’s Board of Directors since 1999. Her participation in the many committees and projects sponsored by the DCBA include volunteering countless hours, for over 25 years, to chair the DCBA's High School Mock Trial Competition. This program, which has become the premier regional competition in the state, promotes the legal community in a positive way throughout the state. Colleen is also the 2001 recipient of the Board of Directors Award for Outstanding Service to the DCBA.

Colleen is a past president of the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers (DAWL) and a founding member of the DAWL's Foundation, which provides scholarships to law students in honor of DuPage County's first woman judge, Helen Kinney. Colleen was also a member of the original Task Force for Child Friendly Courts, which was responsible for the creation of the Child Friendly Courts Foundation and the establishment of “Safe Harbor,” a supervised children's room in the DuPage County courthouse where litigants can be assured their children are safe and well-cared-for while they attend to court business.

Colleen’s involvement in the legal community extends beyond DuPage County. She has been a long-time active member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA). She is currently a member of the ISBA Assembly and Agenda Committee and has chaired several ISBA committees, including the Labor and Employment Law Section Council. She is also a member of the National and Illinois chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA).

Colleen is frequently called upon to speak to attorneys and the public on employment and other legal topics. She has appeared as a guest speaker and host of the DCBA's and the ISBA's cable television public service programs and WGN’s “Legally Speaking” radio show. She has also served on the City of Wheaton's Library Board of Trustees from 1999-2011, including serving as its president from 2007-2011.

Colleen is a 1980 graduate of IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law with High Honors (top 10%). She received her BA with University Honors in 1977 from Northern Illinois University. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois State Court, the Federal District Court for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois (member - Federal Trial Bar), and before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is also a chair-qualified arbitrator for the 18th Judicial Circuit of the State of Illinois.