Principled Advocacy For Families And Individuals With Disabilities And The Professionals Who Serve Them

Mark J. Heyrman

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Biography

Mr. Heyrman brings over 40 years of experience to Monahan Law Group, LLC, advocating for individuals with mental illnesses. He focuses his practice in guardianship and mental health legislation.

Mr. Heyrman is an experienced litigator and has tried cases at every level of the State and Federal Courts. He has been influential in improving law related to mental illnesses. Many of his cases have been precedent setting. Additionally, Mr. Heyrman has authored 10 scholarly publications and has worked on over 40 pieces of legislation related to mental health.

Prior to joining Monahan Law Group, LLC, Mr. Heyrman was a clinical Professor of Law where his work has been dedicated to representing persons with mental illnesses in state and federal courts, drafting and working to enact mental health legislation and teaching law students mental health law and mental health advocacy.

Practice Areas

Mental Health Legislation and Policy

Education

University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, Illinois
- J.D.
University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois
- B.A.
- Major: Administration of Criminal Justice

Bar Admission

Illinois
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
United States Supreme Court

Published Works

Co-Author, Lawyers' Attitudes Toward Involuntary Treatment, 34 J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry & Law 492, 2006
Co-Author, Structural Stigma in State Legislation, 56 Psychiatric Services 557, May, 2005
Co-Author, Stigma and the Police, On the Stigma of Mental Illness, Patrick Corrigan, ed., American Psychological Association, 2004
Author, Five Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Mental Health Law, 18 Chi. B. Assn. Record 31, January, 2004
Author, Mental Health Court: Promises and Limitations, 28 J. Am. Acad. Psychiatry & Law 476, 2000
Author, Mental Illness in Prisons and Jails, 7 U. Chi. Roundtable 113, 2000
Author, Regulating Law Schools: Should the ABA Accreditation Process Be Used to Speed the Implementation of the MacCrate Report Recommendations?, 1 Clinical L. Rev. 389, 1994
Author, No Way In, The Law School Record 10, Spring, 1991
Author, The Mentally Disabled in the Criminal Justice System, 78 Ill. Bar J. 132, 1990
Editor, Report of the Governor's Commission to Revise the Mental Health Code of Illinois, 1989

Honors

Mike Flannery Community Service Award, the National Alliance on Mental Illinois of Greater Chicago, 2011
"Heroes in the Fight" Award, the National Alliance on Mental Illness—Illinois, 2008
Award for mental health advocacy, the Mental Health Association in Illinois, 2006
Selected to Super Lawyers, 2005-2007
Pro Bono award, Equip for Equality, Inc. for work on behalf of persons with mental disabilities, 2003
First Annual Award for "Outstanding Advocacy", the Clinical Legal Education Association, 2002
"Special Recognition Award" for work to preserve community mental health funding, the Community Mental Health Council, Inc., 2002
Gold Bell Award as "Mental Health Person of the Year", the Mental Health Association in Illinois, 2001
"Advocate of the Year" from CURE--Illinois, 2015

Past Positions

The University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, Illinois, Clinical Professor of Law, Faculty Director for Clinical Programs
Governor’s Commission to Revise the Mental Health Code of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, Executive Director
Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, Illinois, Visiting Associate Professor
Office of the State Appellate Defender of Illinois, Elgin, Illinois, Assistant Defender

Professional Associations

Illinois State Bar Association, Standing Committee on the Mentally Disabled, Chair, 1998 - 1999, 2012 - 2013
Illinois State Bar Association, Standing Committee on the Mentally Disabled, Legislative Liaison, 2013 - present
The Chicago Bar Association, Mental Health Law Committee, Legislative Liaison, 2013 - present
The Clinical Legal Education Association, Founding Member of the Board of Directors and Secretary-Treasurer, 1992 - 2000
Mental Health America, Member, 2004 - 2010
Mental Health America, Member of the Public Policy Committee, 2004 – present
Mental Health America, Chair, 2007 - 2010
Mental Health America, Vice Chair, 2010 - 2011
Mental Health America of Illinois, Member, 1996 - present
Mental Health America of Illinois, Board President, 1998 - 2000
Mental Health America of Illinois, Chair of the Public Policy Committee, 1996 - present
Illinois Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council, Member, 1997 - 2015
Illinois Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council, Co-Chair, 2006 -2009
Mental Health Summit, Founding Member and Summit Facilitator, 2000 - present
CURE-Illinois, Board of Directors, 2015 – 2016
CURE-Illinois, Board Secretary, 2016
Adler School of Professional Psychology, President’s Cabinet Member, 2005 - 2006
Mental Health Service System Planning Council of Greater Chicago, Steering Committee Member, 1999 – 2003
Chicago Consortium for Stigma Research, Member, 1999 - 2004
Illinois Senate Mental Health Evaluation and Treatment Task Force, Member, 1999 - 2002
Illinois Guardianship Reform Project Task Force, Chair, 1999 - 2000
Joint Working Group on Mental Health Legislation in Illinois, Member Facilitator and Principle Reporter, 1995 - 2003
Governor’s Task Force to Review the Treatment of Mentally Ill Parents in the Juvenile Justice System, Member, 1998 - 2000
Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, Board Member, 1983 - 1984
Howard Area Community Center, Board Member, 1982 – 1993
Howard Area Community Center, Board President, 1984 -1986
Howard/Paulina Development Corporation, Board Member, 1988 - 1994

Representative Cases

Dempsey v. Saddler, (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, 2012)
Baker v. Adams, 02 CH15962 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, 2004)
Williams v. Staples, 208 Ill. 480 (2004)
C.J. v. DMHDD, 296 Ill. App. 3d 17 (1st Dist. 1998); 331 Ill. App. 3d 871 (1st Dist. 2002)
Cross v. Staples 1-99-3174 (1st Dist. 2001)
Lucas v. Peters, 318 Ill. App. 3d 1 (1st Dist. 2000)
Brown v. Murphy, 278 Ill. App. 3d 981 (1st Dist. 1996)
Henderson v. McDonald, No. 94 C 55 (N.D. Ill. June 12, 1996)
Love v. Chicago, 96 C 0396 (N.D. Ill. (1999)
Estate of Merritt, 272 Ill. App. 3d 1017 (1st Dist. 1995)
Turner v. Campagna, 281 Ill. App. 3d 109- (1st Dist. (1996)
Radazewski v. Cawley, 159 Ill. 2d 372 (1994)
Chambers v. Illinois Fair Employment Practices Commission, 96 Ill. App. 3d 884 (1st Dist. 1981)
Kulak v. Belletire, 148 Ill. App. 3d 268 (1st Dist. 1986)
People v. Roush, 101 Ill. 2d 355 (1984)
Yiadom v. Kiley, 204 Ill. App. 3d 418 (1st Dist. 1990)
Goode v. Pavkovic, No. 81 C 2491 (N.D. Ill. April 26, 1984)