On Friday, Governor Rauner announced that Arbitrator Joann Fratianni-Atsaves has been named Chair of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. He also announced several Commissioner appointments: Management Commissioner Kevin Lamborn, Labor Commissioner David Gore have been reappointed. Replacing public member Dan Donohoo will be arbitrator Joshua Luskin. Labor Commissioner Charles DeVriendt remains serving although his term expired last month. Public Commissioner Steve Mathis was confirmed last week by the State Senate for a term ending January of 2017.  Below are background information for each of the Commissioners appointed on Friday:

• Joann Fratianni-Atsaves: Chair of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC).

Mrs. Fratiani-Atsaves has 34 years of experience in workers’ compensation law and is currently an arbitrator on the IWCC.  Mrs. Fratianni-Atsaves has worked for the IWCC for the past 27 years. She began her career as an arbitrator in 1987 and was appointed to be a commissioner from 1990 to 1993. She continued her work as an arbitrator after her term as a commissioner was complete. She currently hears workers’ compensation matters by trial or settlement, and renders written decisions and approves settlement contracts.

Prior to her work for the IWCC, Mrs. Fratianni-Atsaves worked in private practice at the law offices of Anthony V. Fanone where she handled insurance defense litigation for workers’ compensation matters, often trying cases within the IWCC. She began her legal career at Osterkamp, Jackson & Hollywood.

Mrs. Fratianni-Atsaves is a graduate of the University of Illinois and earned her law degree at Northern Illinois University.

 

• Kevin Lamborn: Management Commissioner – IWCC

Kevin Lamborn will serve his third term as a commissioner of the IWCC. He has served on the board since 2007 as a Business Member Appointee. In this position, he conducts hearings and issues written decisions on litigation appealed from arbitration.

Prior to his work on the IWCC, Mr. Lamborn was an associate attorney at Storino, Ramello & Durkin where he practiced municipal law. He represented local municipalities in civil actions, and also served as an Administrative Hearing officer in property impoundment and code violations.   Mr. Lamborn’s legal career also included being a partner at McAauley & Lamborn. In that practice, Mr. Lamborn focused on a large range of the law including civil litigation, property transactions, work-related injury, and criminal defense, among others. Mr. Lamborn began his career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County. He worked his way up from traffic court to the felony trial division and spent his final two years in the Special Prosecutions Bureau, where he investigated and tried cases involving public officials accused of misconduct.

Mr. Lamborn received his law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He earned two bachelor’s degrees in political science and criminal justice from Valparaiso University.

 

• Joshua Luskin: Public Commissioner – IWCC

Mr. Luskin is currently an arbitrator with the IWCC and has more than 15 years of law experience.

Prior to his work at the IWCC, Mr. Luskin was a partner at the law firm Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, where he specialized in workers’ compensation law.  Mr. Luskin also served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he handled military prosecution and offered legal service to members of the military. He also worked in the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s office, and in the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor’s office.

Mr. Luskin graduated from Macalester College in 1994 with a degree in philosophy. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan

 

• David Gore: Labor Commissioner – IWCC

This will be Mr. Gore’s fourth term as a commissioner and he has served on the IWCC since 2006.

Mr. Gore has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney, previously serving as a partner at the law firm Gore & Gore which specialized in workers’ compensation cases. He also worked as an Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Attorney General and a staff attorney with the Illinois Legislative Reference Bureau.  Mr. Gore also has experience working on workers’ compensation matters as a staff representative for the United Steel Workers of America, AFL-CIO-CLC. He handled unfair labor practice charges and represented the union before the National Labor Relations Board.

Mr. Gore holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing, a law degree and an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Special thanks to our friends at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce for providing these brief biographies.