1.

Name (State full name and any former names used): Rishi Agrawal

2. Age: 44

3. Education (List schools, years attended, and degrees received) Northwestern University (BA ’95);
Loyola University Chicago Law School (JD ’98)

4. Current occupation and employer: Attorney/Owner; The Agrawal Firm, LLC

5. Current hometown, and neighborhood if Chicago. If subcircuit candidate: How long have you lived there?
South Loop, Chicago (8 years); in the 8​th​ Subcircuit, I have lived here for 17 years.

6. Work history (List with years):

Will County Public Defender’s Office (’98 to ’01)
Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney (’01 to ’03)
Eimer Stahl Klevorn & Solberg (’03 to ’07)
The Agrawal Firm, LLC (’07 to present)

7. In what areas of law do you have experience?: Criminal; Family Law, Chancery; Commercial
Litigation, Corporate

8. List your bar association memberships.: South Asian Bar Association; Asian American Bar Association

9. List all professional, business, fraternal, scholarly, civic, charitable, or other organizations to which you
belong: Indo American Center; South Loop Elementary Local School Council; US Indo Chamber of
Commerce

10. Describe your civic involvement.: I am a parent member of the South Loop Elementary Local
School Council; Coach of the South Loop Elementary Debate Team; Chair of the South Loop Elementary
Family Involvement Group; Secretary of the Indo-American Center; I have represented a number of
clients pro bono (including victim of hate crime); I helped to re-start the Legal Clinic at the
Indo-American Center which is now one of the most active legal clinics in the city .
11. Describe your current and former political involvement. I would describe myself as fairly active
politically. I have worked on a number of campaigns in both smaller to larger roles – mostly on state and
local races.

12. Have you run for judge before? When and for which seat? : No.

13. List your published writings, with dates and with links if available. I used to write a weekly article
for the Indian Reporter for about two years until it discontinued publication. It was a legal advice
column.

14. Why do you want to be a Cook County judge?

In my opinion, a judge has such a significant impact on our every day lives. They impact what happens in
our home, our community, our workplace, and more. In some ways, the decisions a judge makes can
have even greater impact than the laws written by Congress. I want to be a part of ensuring that the
people who make these decisions can draw upon not only litigation experience (I have handled
approximately 100 trials), but also a meaningful life and community experience – so that everyone can
have confidence that my decisions as a judge come from a good place.

15. What are the most pressing issues facing the justice system and why?
Criminal Justice Reform: We need to work harder to make sure we are not overcrowding our jails with
people who are non-violent offenders. This includes making a significant effort to reform our bond
practice, we need to work harder to make sure that defendants are not stuck in jail just because they do not
have the funds to pay bond when they otherwise do not pose an immediate threat to society.
Efficiency: We need to work harder to ensure our courts run more efficiently. Litigants sometimes
face unreasonable legal fees and cases often take too long to reach conclusion. There are steps the courts
can take to move cases along faster.
Constitutional Rights: It is so important to have good judges today. We are facing a time where there
are challenges to our fundamental, constitutional rights. We need good judges who will not be afraid to
rule as they see fit, no matter what the result leads to or who the parties are in the case.

16. How will your experiences help you serve as a good judge?
 My diversity of experiences will help me be a good judge. I have handled cases and trials in a wide range
of practice areas. I have the necessary experience to serve effectively in many courtrooms. Equally as
important, I have devoted myself to a wide range of community organizations and serving individual
people. Finally, I have a family history of fighting for social justice. This breadth of experience will
allow me to have a deeper understanding of the issues and litigants before me – to have a quality of
perspective that will enable me to make well founded decisions.

17. What do you wish voters knew about you? : My passion for the rule of law. As a young boy, my
parents told me stories about how my grandparents fought for independence as part of Gandhi’s
Independence Movement in India. I decided then that I also wanted to make a difference, to commit
myself to serving our community. As I grew older, I learned that what helps protect all of us, helps
ensure a just and fair society, is the rule of law. I have and always will commit myself to protecting and
serving the rule of law in our community. I hope I have the opportunity to do so as judge.