Edwardsville attorney Ronald J. Foster Jr. has been selected Madison County associate judge to fill the vacancy left by former associate judge Donald M. Flack’s retirement.
“I’m very honored to be appointed associate judge,” he said. “It’s a high honor which I do not take lightly. I will show up every day to work hard.”
Foster said the Third Judicial Circuit has a “judiciary that is second to none,” and he looks forward to joining the “exceptional judges” on the bench to serve the citizens of Madison and Bond Counties.
Flack stepped down from the bench Jan. 31 to join Armstrong Teasdale’s St. Louis office as a partner.
Foster, a Democrat, currently works as a partner with the Edwardsville plaintiff firm Walton Telken Foster, focusing his practice on workers’ compensation, personal injury, wrongful death, trucking/motor vehicle accidents, product liability, premises liability and social security disability.
According to his biography on the firm’s website, Foster “has dedicated his career to helping injured persons redress the wrongs they have suffered and to obtain the justice he or she deserves.”
Foster has been practicing law for over 20 years before various courts.
“As a litigator, Mr. Foster knows what it is like to handle a case the moment it comes through his door, through a jury trial and ultimately through the Appellate Court’s final determination,” his biography states.
Foster said his experience has helped him prepare for the bench, stressing the importance to hear both sides before applying the law appropriately.
“I understand the burden of going to trial, the burden of carrying on a law practice,” he said. “I understand the role that the judge plays in each and every case.”
Foster said he plans to begin his time on the bench by focusing on “being the best judge I can be.” In the future, he said he is interested in getting “involved in the community through outreach programs to make it a better place for everyone.”
Foster earned a BA from the University of Illinois in Urbana in 1994 and a JD from John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1997.
He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1997, the Missouri Bar in 1999 and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois Bar in 1997.
Foster is a member of the Madison County Bar Association, serving as secretary from 2006-2007, treasurer from 2008-2009, second vice president from 2009-2010, first vice president from 2010-2011, president from 2011-2012 and chairman of speakers’ bureau from 2014-2015.
He is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, American Association for Justice, Missouri Bar Association, St. Clair County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
Foster said that becoming a judge has been a lifelong dream, stemming from his family’s history of service and his experience as an Eagle Scout.
He was exposed to public service early in life with his father serving as mayor in Glen Carbon for 20 years after 16 years as a trustee.
“I saw what good public servants can do and what can result from being a good public servant,” he said.
“Mr. Foster continues the tradition of community and public service that was established by his father,” his biography states. “As a youth, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and as part of his Eagle Scout project he uncovered and cleaned up the cemetery of Colonel Samuel Judy, the first settler of Madison County, Illinois. He also assisted in the restoration of the Yanda Log Cabin, which is now an established historical site in the Village of Glen Carbon.”
Foster also serves as the Chairman of the Edwardsville Township Precinct Committeemen, is a member of the Executive Board of the Madison County Democratic party, is a member of the Edwardsville Township Democratic Club and is a member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
He previously served on the Board of Directors of Heartlands Conservancy and served as a trustee on the Glen Carbon Fire protection District Board.
Foster and his wife have three children. He said his family feels blessed by his appointment to associate judge.