Quincy University to induct Legal Hall of Fame class on Saturday

QUINCY — Quincy University will hold its Legal Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday, April 20 in the Pete Brown Mock Trial Room in the Center for Legal Studies on QU’s main campus, 1800 College.

This year’s inductees are Maria Bocanegra, Class of 2004, Richard Schulte, Class of 1991, and the 2005 mock trial team.

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. Dinner and a ceremony will follow. Reservations are required, cost is $30 per person.

Bocanegra serves as chief legal officer for the Port of Cleveland, where she oversees all legal matters for the port including its ethics, risk, compliance, labor, contracts, governance and managing outside counsel. Bocanegra also provides strategic support on all of the port’s government relations matters.

Previously, she was appointed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to serve as commissioner with the Illinois Commerce Commission, regulating investor-owned electric, gas and water utilities in highly complex and
technical matters. Her other political appointments include service at the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission and as a public member to the Illinois Department of Labor Advisory Board.

Before entering public service, Bocanegra practiced law focused on workers’ compensation, wage and hour and personal injury claims. She has been recognized by Fortnightly’s Under 40, Negocios Now’s 40 Under 40, Negocios Now’s Who’s Who In Hispanic Chicago, Negocios Now’s Rising Star and Latino Leaders Magazine.

Her work has been featured in Utility Dive, T&D World, Bloomberg Law and American Association of Port Authorities. Negocio’s Now selected her in 2021 as one of the 50 most influential latinos in Chicagoland. Bocanegra was selected in 2023 by Crain’s Cleveland to its notable Latino leaders list. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new restaurants and cuisines, amateur map collecting, attending comedy shows, travel and learning all things real estate investing.

Schulte is a partner at Wright & Schulte, LLC, in Dayton, Ohio. He serves on the board of Ohio’s state trial bar, the Ohio Association for Justice, First Bankers Trust Company, the Spriska Insurance Company, and our country’s national trial bar, the American Association for Justice.

Schulte has represented the state of Ohio for 13 years on the board of governors for the American Association for Justice. He also serves on the Executive Committee’s for First Bankers Trust Company and Spriska.

Schulte started as a sole practitioner with his own law firm. He built a national legal practice focused on complex civil litigation and seeking justice for people injured by corporate wrongdoers and insurance companies. Schulte has represented clients across the country in legal areas including mass torts, toxic tort, product liability, wrongful death, fraud, constitutional law, complex litigation and Title IX.

Throughout his legal career, he has been a leader in the prosecution of many of the country’s largest coordinated civil litigations. He has served as lead counsel in six separate nationally coordinated litigations. Schulte received the Ohio Association for Justice President’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Trial Bar in 2009, and he is routinely recognized by the Super Lawyers directory, which features experienced attorneys who exhibit excellence in their practice of law.

The 2005 Mock Trial Team is the first mock trial team in QU history to qualify for the American Mock Trial Association top-flight Gold National Tournament at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The QU mock trial team finished behind Rhodes University, whose teams took first and second place honors. QU placed ahead of teams from Vanderbilt, University of Missouri-Kansas City and St. Louis University, finishing with a 6-1-1 record.

Members of the team were:

• Christopher Blaesing, Class of 2005, partner with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in St. Louis;
• Garrett Ruffin, Class of 2007, who works in corporate finance in Northwest Arkansas;
• Emily Stolarski, Class of 2005, administrative director for Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis;
• Nikki Hendricks, Class of 2005;
• Brett Bozarth, Class of 2005; and
• Richard Appelbaum, Class of 2007.

For reservations, contact 217-228-5227 or go to quincy.edu/alumni/events/. For more information, visit www.quincy.edu or contact the Office of Community Relations at (217) 228-5275 or communityrelations@quincy.edu.