Supt. Garry McCarthy's New Wife Gets New Political Appointment - Park Ridge native, attorney named to Illinois Supreme Court committee

Kristin Barnette, a personal injury attorney and Park Ridge native, has been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to a state committee that evaluates bar exam applicants.

Barnette will serve on the Supreme Court’s Committee on Character and Fitness, which looks at the “moral character and general fitness of applicants to practice law.”

Barnette is a trial attorney with the firm of Kralovec, Jambois and Schwartz in downtown Chicago, focusing on personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and nursing home abuse and neglect. She was previously an attorney with the firm of Parillo, Weiss and O’Halloran and interned with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Cook County Public Defender’s Office.

A member of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois since 2001, Barnette is currently a member of the board of directors and is fundraising chairwoman for the Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project, Inc.

This year, Barnette was named among the “40 Under 40 Illinois Attorneys to Watch” by Law Bulletin Publishing.

Barnette grew up in Park Ridge and is a 1997 graduate of Maine South High School.

In October, Barnette made headlines with the announcement of her engagement to Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.