Erika Baldonado is a trial attorney whose area of practice concentrates on civil litigation defense of school districts, park districts, municipalities, large commuter rail lines, and restaurants. Erika has argued and won two appeals before the Second District Appellate Court and was awarded the 2011 and 2017 Trial Lawyer Excellence Award from the Jury Verdict Reporter.
Erika was appointed as an Investigator with the Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee in 2016 and has conducted numerous investigations into both sitting judges seeking retention and those seeking a first-time appointment.
Erika was formerly a criminal prosecutor with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office as well as a Staff Attorney for the Chief Judge of Cook County.
Erika earned her Juris Doctorate from DePaul College of Law in 1993 and obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University of Chicago, in 1989. From 1987-1988, Erika spent her junior year abroad in Rome, Italy, where she studied art, culture and history.