PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND LICENSES

• Licensed Illinois Attorney, J.D., Mississippi College School of Law, 1994

• Registered Title Insurance Agent, Ticor Title, Chicago Title

• Past Member, Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council, ISBA

• ISBA, Sub-Committee Chair, Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council, Legal Technology, 2005

• Certified Arbitrator, Cook, Kane, DuPage Counties, since 1999

• Kane County Bar Association, member

WORK HISTORY

2010-Current Hess & Haskell Defenders, P.C.

• Joint Venture with Law Office of Ronald Haskell to represent clients with DUI/traffic and criminal matters

2000-Current Law Office of Rachel J. Hess

• Owner, DUI/traffic and criminal defense; Civil litigation; Appeals; Real Estate; Small Claims; General Practitioner

2000-Current Office of State Appellate Defender, Panel Attorney, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Districts

• Represent indigent clients on appeal in juvenile, misdemeanor and felony cases.

1999-2003 Van Der Snick Law Firm, Geneva, Illinois

• Associate/Independent Contractor. DUI/traffic and criminal defense.

1999-1999 Law Offices of Lawrence Friedman, P.C., Chicago, IL

• Associate. Plaintiffs counsel representing clients in Foreclosure, Contract and Collection cases.

1998-1999 Assistant State's Attorney, LaSalle County State's Attorney's Office, Ottawa, IL

• Felony prosecutor; responsible for total case management involving the prosecution of complex felony cases throughout all stages of trial. First chair jury trial experience.

1998-1998 Assistant Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Ottawa, IL

• Felony and misdemeanor criminal appeals. Management of large caseload. Presented oral argument before Third District Court of Appeals.

1996-1998 Schaffner & Van Der Snick, P.C., Geneva, IL

• Associate. Defense of traffic, misdemeanor and felony cases as well as civil practice, simple estate planning, family law and real estate transactions. First chair civil jury trial experience.

1995-1996 Assistant State's Attorney, Kane County State's Attorney's Office, St. Charles, IL

• Misdemeanor prosecutor; Responsible for prosecution of ordinance violations, traffic, misdemeanor and DUI cases throughout all stages of trial. First chair criminal jury trial experience. Guest speaker: Zonta, Legal Ease, DARE.

1994-1995 Staff Attorney, Sixteenth Judicial Circuit, St. Charles, IL

• Small claims court assistant, legal research for local judiciary, family court assistant.

OTHER WORK HISTORY

1996-1996 Part-Time Instructor, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL

1993-1994 Founder, Phi Alpha Delta Pro-Bono Legal Referral Service, Jackson, MS

• Established the only not-for-profit legal referral service in the State of Mississippi in 1994. The referral service provides legal aid to indigent members of the Jackson community.

EDUCATION

• 1999-2003 L.L.M., Information Technology, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, June 2003

• 1991-1994 J.D., Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi

• 1993 Pepperdine University School of Law, Institute for Dispute Resolution, Malibu, California

• 1987-1991 B.S., Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois