ADR Experience and Qualifications

Judge Brewer has substantial litigation, judicial, and settlement experience in the following areas:

• Business/Commercial
• Employment/Employment Contracts/Discrimination/Fair Labor Standards Act
• Personal Injury/Torts
• Education/Colleges and Universities/Title IX/Public and Social Service Agencies
• Consumer Matters
• Civil Rights
• Professional Liability
• Government/Public Agencies
• Construction
• Privacy
• Arbitration

Both at JAMS and on the bench, Judge Brewer has substantial experience as an arbitrator, mediator and judge in the following areas:

Representative Matters

• Business/Commercial
• Judge Brewer has arbitrated, mediated and resolved numerous actions for breach of contract, contract interpretation, fraud, partnership disputes, construction defects, condominium disputes, property damage and real estate transactions.
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has arbitrated and mediated numerous consumer banking and collection matters, including consumer credit disputes, lender liability, mortgage issues, foreclosures, and alleged tort and state law violations.
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has arbitrated and mediated cases involving telecommunications, online platform data breaches and security threats, as well as other online platform issues.
• Judge Brewer has arbitrated and mediated professional liability cases, including legal malpractice and cases involving fee disputes between attorneys and clients. 
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has mediated cases involving the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act ("BIPA") and other privacy matters. 
• Civil Rights
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has mediated cases involving civil rights claims against municipalities and other government entities. As a sitting judge, she has settled and managed numerous cases involving governmental entities, including police shootings; public schools; employment; civil rights; and premises liability cases.
• As a sitting judge, Judge Brewer settled a number of multi-million-dollar civil rights cases brought against municipalities and other governmental units. 
• Consumer Matters
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has arbitrated numerous consumer actions, including alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA"), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”), the Fair Credit Reporting Act claim (FCRA), the Truth-in-Lending Act (“TILA”), the Electronic Funds Transfer Act ("EFTA") as well as alleged violations of state consumer protection laws.
• Education/Colleges and Universities/Title IX/ Religious Institutions/Public and Social Service Agencies
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has served as a College and University Title IX external adjudicator and appeal officer in sexual misconduct, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse cases.
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has arbitrated class action consumer action cases involving for profit educational institutions and claims of fraud and deceptive practices.
• At JAMS and as a sitting judge, Judge Brewer has mediated and settled cases involving public and private social service agencies, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies.
• As a sitting judge, Judge Brewer has settled cases involving sexual misconduct and sexual harassment in high schools, and colleges and universities. 
• As a sitting judge, Judge Brewer has settled cases involving discipline, school sports, and disability.
• Employment
• Judge Brewer has arbitrated and mediated numerous cases involving allegations of discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, national origin, and disability; wrongful termination; retaliatory discharge; hostile work environment; sexual harassment; and, breach of employment contracts. 
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has arbitrated Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) cases and FLSA/state law wage and hour matters.
• Personal Injury/Torts
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has arbitrated and mediated numerous tort cases. As a sitting judge, she settled and managed hundreds of tort cases, such as wrongful death; catastrophic injuries and burn cases; medical malpractice; nursing home; industrial and construction accidents; premise liability; sexual abuse; defamation; auto, truck and railroad accidents, and product liability, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, sports equipment, and tools.
• At JAMS, Judge Brewer has conducted dozens of telephonic mediations of personal injury matters connected to institutional settlement trusts. She frequently works with unrepresented claimants and is adept at walking parties through structured ADR processes.

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Background and Education

• Judge, Cook County Circuit Court, Chicago, Illinois, 2002-2016
• Law Division Motion Judge, 2009-2016
• Domestic Relations Judge, 2003-2009
• Municipal Division Judge, 2002-2003
• Chief Counsel to the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, 1994-2002
• Key policy advice areas included:
  • Construction of Cook County Hospital
• Consumer fraud
• Employment policy and litigation
• Excessive force, Cook County Sheriff and Cook County Jail, Juvenile Justice
• Predatory lending
• Public utilities/telecommunication
• Taxation
• Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Chicago, 1988-1994
  • Federal civil rights litigation, employment, labor, excessive force, First Amendment and other constitutional issues
• Associate, Corporate Litigation, Jenner & Block, Chicago, Illinois, 1987-1988
• Harvard Law School, J.D. cum laude, 1987
• University of Chicago, Ph.D., 1984
• Loyola University of Chicago, M.A. with honors, 1974
• LeMoyne College, B.A. with honors, 1973