IJA – Pro Bono Committee – February 2025 Spotlight

The Honorable Daniel B. Malone

As is our custom, the members of the IJA Pro Bono Committee pause to recognize the many and varied contributions of the Honorable Judge Daniel B. Malone, presiding judge of the Probate Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Judge Malone was appointed by the Supreme Court of Illinois as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County on February 24, 2009.  He won election to the seat in November 2010 and has been twice retained for his position, first in 2016, and most recently in 2022.  Since his appointment to the bench, Judge Malone has presided over cases in the First Municipal District, including the Traffic Division and Housing Court.  In 2013, Judge Malone was reassigned to the Probate Division where he presided over Minor Guardianship and Disabled Adult Guardianship and the Decedents’ Estate calls.

 In 2019, by order of Chief Circuit Court Judge Timothy Evans, Judge Malone was appointed Acting Presiding Judge of the Probate Division.  In a press release announcing the appointment, Chief Judge Evans commented that “Judge Malone has been known to be prompt, efficient, fair and courteous.  He handles matters involving some of our most vulnerable  residents, and he does it with a level of professionalism that is appreciated by the litigants and attorneys who appear before him.”   In 2021, Judge Malone was named the Presiding Judge of the Circuit Court’s Probate Division, where he currently oversees a core of probate judges, administrative support staff and all probate court calls.

A 1975 graduate of Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, Judge Malone earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1979.  He earned his juris doctorate from DePaul University in 1986 and was admitted to the Illinois bar that same year.

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Malone honed his legal skills as an associate at the Healy Law Firm (f/k/a Healy and Nolan), becoming a full partner in the firm in 2001.  As an attorney, then Dan Malone concentrated his practice in complex plaintiff’s personal litigation, including construction, workers’ compensation, product liability, and medical negligence.  A review of then Attorney Malone’s record reflects more than a few multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements.

A guest lecturer, author and judicial mentor, Judge Malone generously shares his knowledge of the law and the proper administration of justice with judges, lawyers and students alike.  He is the noted author of “Opening Statements,” Callaghan’s Trial Practice Series; and “Settlement Contracts,” Chapter 26, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Workers’ Compensation Trial Notebook.  He was the guest speaker and facilitator for the Illinois Judges Association’s "Literacy Project: Life and Legacy of Lincoln; the guest speaker on  “Probate Practice, Part 2: Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation – From the Streets to the Courtroom,” and the Chicago Bar Association’s  2015 Probate Practice Seminar, Parts 1 & 2.  Judge Malone has been an invited lecturer for both the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.  Recognized for his subject matter expertise on probate law, he has served as  a presenter on the subject at the Chicago Bar Association’s “Eight O’clock Call” and a 2022 panelist on ILLCLE’s panel discussion on Litigating Disputed Estates and Trusts.

“Each one teach one.” So goes the old African proverb.  A seasoned jurist, Judge Malone has served as a mentor in the Illinois Supreme Court’s Judicial Mentor Program from 2019 to the present.  His contributions to the work of the courts have not gone unnoticed by the high court.  In 2022, he was appointed to serve on the court’s Commission on Elder Law.  In 2026, he will serve as a member of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Judicial College faculty assigned to teach a course  on probate at the 2026 Judicial Education Conference. 

Judge Malone’s commitment to service extends beyond the court and the legal profession.  In 2012, he was a presenter on the 225^th Anniversary of the U.S. Constitution at Brother Rice High School.  More recently, presenting to a much younger audience, he represented the Illinois Judges Association at St. Jane de Chantal, his elementary school, where he read “Abe Lincoln’s Hat” to the learned third grade class.  A few years later, he was invited to read the same story, this time at St. Christina Elementary, and this time, to a third-grade class that included his granddaughter, Mara and subsequently to his then third-grade granddaughter, Maeve. 

A commitment to service, Judge Malone currently holds memberships in the Chicago Bar Association (Tort Litigation Committee, past chair), the Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Judges Association (Courtroom in the Classroom, volunteer (2013–23).  He has served in various capacities with the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association  (Board of Managers (1996-07), Co-Chair – Product Liability Committee (2000-01), and the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association (President (2009), Vice-President (2008) and, Treasurer (2006-07)).

Judge Malone has deep roots in Chicago, from the cradle to the courthouse.  He is married, has two children and three grandchildren.  He believes that “it’s important to give back to the legal profession which has been so good to [him].”  So, what’s next for Presiding Judge Daniel B. Malone?  His hope is a return visit to St. Christina Elementary, to again read “Abe Lincoln’s Hat,” this time, to a third-grade class that includes his now two-year old grandson.

Hats Off to You Presiding Judge Daniel B. Malone --- You Make Us All Proud!