HR0995 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0995 LRB097 21254 GRL 68904 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to honor Jeffery Leving for his work in safeguarding the rights of fathers and protecting the welfare of children and families in this State; and

WHEREAS, Jeffery Leving began his career over 30 years ago, at a time when it was almost unheard of to fight for the rights of fathers and prevail in family court; determined to fight this bias, Mr. Leving and his firm carved a niche practice area and the name Jeffery Leving and the term "Fathers' Rights" became inseparable; and

WHEREAS, The Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd., has represented fathers, mothers, grandparents, and children, from all walks of life; the firm has worked on high profile cases, such as the reunification of Elian Gonzalez with his father in Cuba; utilizing Mr. Leving's encyclopedic knowledge of national and international law, the firm has also litigated international child abduction cases involving the nations of Egypt, Poland, Argentina, China, and Mexico seeking the reunification of children with parents who had almost abandoned hope that they would ever see their children again; and

WHEREAS, Jeffery Leving's firm prides itself on its forward-thinking initiatives in the field of law and fathers' rights; every month, he administers a "Continuing Legal Education Think Tank", with featured speakers such as mental health professionals, leading attorneys, and other experts who present to attendees their strategies to maximize and leverage the collective knowledge and resources of the firm, which allows the firm to utilize pragmatic courtroom strategies that are key to the success of the firm and its clients; Mr. Leving is also heavily involved in mapping out strategies for complex and emotionally-charged cases and takes on many of the firm's cases as well; and

WHEREAS, Jeffery Leving and his firm work diligently to educate fathers of their rights as parents and have effectively advocated for judges to look to the letter and the spirit of the law and refute antiquated preconceptions that mothers were automatically endowed with superior rights to parenting and custody; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his work at the firm, Jeffery Leving is a founder of the Fatherhood Educational Institute, a not-for-profit charity whose mission is to help indigent fathers reunite with their children through education and support initiatives; he also serves as the Chair of the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood at the pleasure of the Governor and served as a resource to the first White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Town Hall Meeting on Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families in Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Jeffery Leving and his firm have been honored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children "in recognition and appreciation for their outstanding commitment to the protection of children and the knowledge of the Hague Convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction"; he was also honored by the White House by being presented with the President's Volunteer Service Award for his work with the Council on Responsible Fatherhood and was the recipient of the 2012 Professional Achievement Award from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law for outstanding achievement in the legal profession; and

WHEREAS, Jeffery Leving is a co-author of Illinois laws concerning joint custody, virtual child visitation, parenting time interference, and paternity testing; he is also the author of 3 books, "Fathers' Rights", "Divorce Wars", and "How to Be a Good Divorced Dad"; and

WHEREAS, Jeffery Leving serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor Jeffery Leving for his work in safeguarding the rights of fathers and protecting the welfare of children and families in this State, thank him for his great dedication to this important task, and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Jeffery Leving as a symbol of our esteem and respect.