University of Illinois College of Law

About

Scott Szala is an Illinois attorney, who practiced for 34 years with the international law firm of Winston & Strawn LLP, headquartered in Chicago, which totals approximately 850 attorneys. Until his retirement in 2014, Mr. Szala, a capital partner, specialized in civil and criminal trials and litigation. He received his B.A. from Knox College, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1975 and his J.D. from Northwestern University in 1978.

Professor Szala is an adjunct professor with the University of Illinois College of Law, teaching Advanced Trial Practice and the Illinois Constitution: Contemporary and Historical Issues. He has also been an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law in the areas of trial practice, legal ethics, and juvenile justice, and has lectured in the area of mediations.

Currently, Mr. Szala has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to three of its committees, including the Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions (Criminal), Professional Responsibility, and Judicial Evaluation. Since 2011, Mr. Szala has worked with the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation (ISCHPC) and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) and on their historical play and panel presentations of the 2011 Mary Surratt Retrial (President Lincoln assassination co-conspirator), the 2012 Mary Todd Lincoln Insanity Retrial, the 2013 Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith Habeas Corpus Proceedings, and the 2015 Alton School Segregation Cases. These presentations have been broadcast throughout Illinois, the country, and/or worldwide. During 2012-2014, Mr. Szala lectured at the Illinois Teachers’ Workshops in Springfield, sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education, the ISCHPC, and ALPLM, about legal concepts and lessons learned from these plays and panel presentations. These workshops have successfully sought to incorporate these matters into the curriculum for Illinois middle and high school students.

Education

JD Northwestern University School of Law
BA Knox College