Lisa Anne Ochal

I had the displeasure of representing a client before Referee Lisa Anne Ochal in an IDES hearing a few months ago and now that the case has concluded, and even though my client prevailed, I feel a moral duty to write this review. How Ms. Ochal is still employed by the State of Illinois behooves me. ... This lady is unprofessional, cruel and emotionally unregulated. She cuts off both sides and doesn't let them speak. Even opposing counsel wasn't spared by Ms. Ochal's irrational, insensitive, condescending and needlessly adversarial behavior. Her inability to control her outbursts at witnesses and attorneys alike, and to suggest that she is merely exercising her authority to control her courtroom “proceedings,” is to diminish what her actions actually do: they limit people's ability to testify, present evidence, answer questions and meaningfully represent themselves. There is a fundamental difference between maintaining order and intimidating people into silence. To put it bluntly, Ms. Ochal makes Judge Judy look like a model of judicial temperament, and that says something, given that Judge Judy is hardly known for her patience, restraint, or gentle treatment of those appearing before her. If you, like so many others, have had the displeasure of appearing before Ms. Ochal and feel like your rights were violated, please submit a complaint to the Illinois Office of Executive Inspector General (OEIG) & the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). It is high time that this so-called administrative law judge be held accountable and removed from her position. Ms. Ochal’s conduct is wholly unbecoming of a public official entrusted with administering justice on behalf of the State of Illinois.