Collinsville attorney Marc Parker of Parker Law PC announced Wednesday that he is running for the open Madison County circuit judge seat created by Judge John Barberis’ election to the Fifth District Appellate Court.
Parker, 52, is running on the Democratic ticket.
Barberis’ seat is currently held by Circuit Judge David Dugan, who was appointed March 3 by the Illinois Supreme Court, upon the recommendation of Chief Justice Lloyd Karmeier.
Dugan, a Republican, previously told the Record that he would again seek election to the bench in 2018.
Parker has over 24 years of experience representing plaintiffs in personal injury lawsuits and has had his own practice in Maryville since 2012.
“I became a lawyer many years ago to make a difference, ” Parker stated in a press release. “I’ve represented people/families in courts all over this great country of ours. I’ve seen firsthand the impact that fair, impartial, hardworking, knowledgeable and considerate judges can have on people’s lives. A judge has the opportunity every single day to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives and for society as a whole. He or she can make a difference for far more people than any single lawyer. That’s why I’m running for Circuit Judge.”
Parker also serves as the attorney for Collinsville Township.
He previously served as a law clerk at the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court.
Parker also served as a full-time prosecutor in the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s office. He is currently a part-time prosecutor with the Madison County State’s Attorney’s office.
He has litigated in federal and state courts around the country and tried cases to verdict in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Minnesota.
Parker received his undergraduate degree with honors from SIUE in 1987 and his law degree from St. Louis University in 1990, cum laude.
He was a volunteer assistant basketball coach at Collinsville High School from 1991-94 and at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Collinsville from 2000-10.
Parker has been a licensed high school basketball official for over 30 years and was chosen to officiate the boys Class 3A/4A State Finals in Peoria in March.
Parker and his wife, Stephanie, live in Collinsville and have two children, Grant, 23, and Madison, 17.