Quincy University inducts Henze, Schuering into Legal Hall of Fame

QUINCY — Quincy University inducted Holly J. Henze and Mark A. Schuering into the Legal Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony on Saturday, April 26, in the Pete Brown Mock Trial Room in the Center for Legal Studies on QU’s main campus, 1800 College Avenue.

Henze is an associate circuit court judge with the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Adams County. She is the only female in the 16-member judiciary. Henze was appointed to the bench in July 2016 after serving as the chief public defender in Adams County for four years. She previously was a part-time assistant public defender in Adams County in addition to her private law practice.

Before attending law school, Henze was a career legal secretary from 1984 through 1998. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Hannibal-LaGrange College in 1998 and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 2001.

She is a member of the Adams County Bar Association, the Illinois and Missouri Bars and the Illinois Judges Association. Henze is a member of First Southern Baptist Church in Quincy.

Schuering, a 1975 Quincy College graduate, left his mark on the legal community through his decades of service as an attorney, judge, mediator and educator.

Schuering began his legal career as an attorney and partner at Goehl and Schuering Law Firm and as Adams County public defender before being appointed an associate circuit judge in 1986. He was elected as a judge in 1990 with the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Illinois, a role he would serve until his retirement in 2010. Throughout his judicial tenure, Schuering presided over complex civil and criminal cases and was certified to handle capital litigation.

Schuering co-authored “Hunter’s Trial Handbook for Illinois Lawyers–Civil” and has been a faculty member for judicial education programs across the state. He established a private mediation practice post-retirement and continues to help resolve disputes outside the courtroom.

Schuering has been a mentor and educator at Quincy University, teaching courses in American judicial process, business law and victimology. He also mentored the university’s pre-law students and mock trial team. He also led QU’s London Experience study abroad program.

Schuering served as president of the Illinois Judges Association and has contributed to multiple judicial committees, including the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee and the Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee.

He obtained his undergraduate degree from Quincy University in 1975 and his Juris Doctorate from the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1978.

Schuering also served as QU’s head tennis coach from 2017–19, and he has earning recognition in the Quincy University and Quincy Notre Dame Sports Halls of Fame.