Joseph M. Lehman

Print Profile

Attorney

Joseph Michael Lehman is a lifelong resident of the Northwest Chicago Suburbs. While attending John Hersey High School, he co-founded the school’s first trial advocacy team and has remained involved as a coach since his graduation. For his service to the Hersey trial team, he received a 2022 Distinguished Service Award from Township High School District 214. He received his B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021 and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2025. While in college of law school, he received multiple awards for his trial advocacy, and he continues to teach trial advocacy to high school, college, and law school trial teams. He previously served as a law clerk for Judge Colleen R. Daly of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. While a temporarily-licensed attorney under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711, he served as a 711 attorney for the University of Illinois College of Law’s First Amendment Clinic, the University of Illinois Office of Student Legal Services, the Office of the Illinois State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, and the U.S. Air Force Appellate Defense Division. He is now a trial and appellate litigator at the Cosley Law Office, taking cases from Cook and Collar Counties, and all five Illinois state appellate districts, as well as from Champaign County and U.S. military service Courts of Criminal Appeal.

Areas of Practice

• Appellate Practice
• Civil & Criminal Litigation
• Civil Rights
• College & University Student Disciplinary Proceedings
• First Amendment Litigation
• Military Appeals
• State Administrative Law (DCFS proceedings & Illinois State Police FOID & CCL appeals)

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 2025
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2025
• U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2026

Education

• University of Illinois College of Law, 2025
• J.D.
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 2021
• B.A. English & Minor in Legal Studies

Relevant Past Employment Positions

• University of Illinois College of Law First Amendment Clinic, Champaign, IL, 711-Law Student Attorney, 2024-2025
• Office of the Illinois State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, Springfield, IL, 711-Law Student Attorney, 2023-2024
• Frederick & Hagle, Urbana, IL, Law Clerk, 2022-2025
• Chambers of Judge Colleen Reardon Daly, Circuit Court of Cook County, Rolling Meadows, IL, Law Clerk

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association, Member, 2024-Present
• Champaign County Bar Association, Member, 2024-Present
• Northwest Suburban Bar Association, Member, 2023-Present
• Kane County Bar Association, Member, 2023-Present
• Phi Alpha Delta, Magruder Chapter, Trial Advocacy Coach & Member, 2022-Present
• Federalist Society, Member, 2022-Present
• University of Illinois Senate Committee on Student Discipline
• University of Illinois Senate Committee on Academic Freedom & Tenure

Honors and Awards

• Cali Award – LAW792A Advanced Legal Research: Illinois, University of Illinois College of Law, Spring 2025
• Cali Award – LAW694C Trial Team: University of Illinois College of Law, Spring 2025
• Best Overall Advocate – Syracuse University College of Law National Military Trial Competition, 2025
• Semi-Finalist Team – Syracuse University College of Law National Military Trial Competition, 2025
• Harno Scholar – University of Illinois College of Law, Fall 2024
• Lisnek Award Finalist – Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism at University of Illinois College of Law, 2024

Published Works & Certifications

• Illinois’ Home District Illusion, 45 N. Ill. U. L. Rev. 63 (Fall 2024)
• The Unaddressed Conflict Between Pension-Related ESG Legislation and Fiduciary Duties in Illinois, 15 Environmental Educator (April 2024)
• How DCFS Appeals can give Law Students Valuable Litigation Experience, 67(7) ISBA Fam. L. Sec. Newsletter 5 (March 2024) (reprinted under the same name in 51(3) ISBA Admin. L. Sec. Newsletter 10 (April 2024))