Interview with Honorable Ronald Davis

By Thomas J. Keevers

“If you need to get something done, ask a busy person,” goes the old maxim—and around the Circuit Court of Cook County that person would be Judge Ronald Davis. Just observing his energy at the court house, at the CBA and the ISBA, not to mention his volunteer work, would leave a fit man breathless.  

Judge Davis’s career in law spans almost fifty years, about half spent as a practicing lawyer. Having worked in an extensive litigation practice, Judge Davis was able to bring a balanced view to the bench. He represented plaintiffs in a wide range of actions, among them air crash, products, and medical negligence cases, but he defended cases too, for a number of small insurance companies.  

An associate since 1983, Judge Davis began his judicial career hearing Delinquency, Abuse, and Neglect cases, moving on to spend a number of years in the First Municipal District, and is currently a judge in the law division, hearing motions on motion call “C.” He has presided over approximately 350 jury trials—personal injury, torts, and contracts. He has been affirmed on 58 of 65 appeals.  

“I’ve watched the law unfold,” he said.  “It’s been so interesting, watching it develop. There were few medical negligence cases before the sixties. Since then, comparative negligence came in, and products liability.  Monier v. Chamberlain really revolutionized the discovery process. Before that, a lot of the discovery, things we take for granted, was off-limits. Trying a case was largely guesswork and hunches. Trial by ambush was all too common.” 

Asked if it’s better now, he nodded emphatically. “Definitely better,” he said. “Lawyers are better. They’re better prepared, better read.” The judge did not agree with the often-expressed opinion that lawyers are less civil now than they used to be. “No, it was worse in the old days," he said. "Some of the old-timers seemed to take pride in their abrasiveness. And I can’t help but think that one important refining element is the women. There were very few women lawyers back then, especially in litigation. It was a little like the wild west.” 

Being a motion judge means lots of reading, and when Judge Davis is not hearing contested motions in the afternoon, he is absorbed in studying the mountains of briefs submitted for pending motions. Asked if he had any tips for brief-writers, he said, “Yes. Be brief.” 

Though Judge Davis has a very busy schedule, his contribution to the legal community doesn’t end at the courthouse. He is a frequent lecturer at bar association and judicial seminars on the subjects of evidence, trial technique, and civil procedure. At the CBA, he has chaired the Tort Litigation Committee, Executive Civil Practice and Procedure Committee, Continuing Legal Education Committee, and Medical –Legal Committee.  

He is also a trained intervenor with the Lawyers’ Assistance Program, where he has been active for over ten years. His generous service has earned him the program’s John Powers Crowley award.  

But the generosity of this man is not limited to the legal community. For the past twelve years, Judge Davis has been a volunteer worker with the “Feed the Homeless” project for North Shore Congregation Israel. And for fourteen years, he volunteered his time at the Whitehall Nursing Home. 

The interview nearly ended, Judge Davis was asked if he had any advice for lawyers presenting motions. “First tell the judge why you’re there, what your motion is,” he said. “It sounds so simple, but so many lawyers begin by relating facts, or telling you the history, or how complicated the case is. You’re there for a very specific reason—start with that. Tell the judge what you’re asking for, then whatever else you say will have some context.”