Attorneys

History

Born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 4, 1959, Mr. Beck was raised in Wheaton and continues to reside in Wheaton with his Wife, Nancy, and their seven children. Joe is a lifelong member of St. Michael?s Parish in Wheaton. He graduated from St. Michael?s School in 1973, and St. Francis High School in 1977. Mr. Beck completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture in 1981. Mr. Beck pursued the study of law at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from John Marshall with a Juris Doctor Degree in 1984. He was admitted to the State Bar of Illinois in 1985. Joe is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Mr. Beck joined the Law Firm of Mirabella & Kincaid, P.C., in 1984 and, since that time, he has been in private practice. In May of 2001, Mr. Beck co-founded the Law Firm of Beck, Houlihan & Scott, P.C., with his partners, William J. Scott and John P. Houlihan. He has concentrated his practice throughout his career in the area of Family Law and specializes in Family Law litigation and methods of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Over the last seven years, he has expanded his practice by incorporating Mediation and Collaborative Law as methods of Alternate Dispute Resolution for clients with family law issues. Mr. Beck has been, and continues to be, one of the predominant mediators in the DuPage County Mediation Program since its inception in March of 1998.

In the January/February 2004 edition of West Suburban Living, Mr. Beck was recognized as a top lawyer by his peers in the practice area of Alternative Dispute Resolution Law & Family Law. The list of top lawyers in this publication was developed in partnership with the Leading Lawyers Network, a subsidiary of Law Bulletin Publishing, Inc.

Mr. Beck is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association, the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois, and the Illinois State Bar Association. He has served as the Chair of the DuPage County Bar Association Committees for Family Law and Practice, 1991-92; Admissions and Membership, 1993-94; Law Day, 1996-97, 1986-87; 2004-05; and Legal Aid, 2000-01. In 1998, Mr. Beck received recognition of his outstanding contribution to the DuPage County Bar Association and DuPage Bar Legal Aid Service from both the DuPage County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.

Mr. Beck has been certified by the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court as a Mediator in its Family law Mediation Program since 1998. In addition, he was certified by the Chief Judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court as a Child Representative in 1999, and he maintains his certification from the Court in both of these capacities.

The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory rates Mr. Beck ?AV?. The designation of ?AV? is described by Martindale-Hubbell as ?very high to preeminent in legal ability? and the highest in professional and ethical integrity, which is the best rating an attorney may receive from this nationally-recognized registry and legal rating service.

Mr. Beck has, historically, been active within the DuPage County community. He is presently serving as Director on the Board of Directors for Greater DuPage MYM, Inc. Joe is a past President of MYM, a not-for-profit organization which provides long-term assistance to adolescent parents for their development of self-esteem, positive parenting skills and empowerment toward self sufficiency. In addition, Mr. Beck served on the Governor?s Task Force in DuPage County for Human Service Reform. He has provided guidance to students at Elmhurst College over the years through the college?s Center for Professional Excellence Mentoring Program. Joe has served on various committees at St. Michael Parish, including the Parish Council. In addition, Mr. Beck has been actively involved as a coach for various church, school, park district, and YMCA youth sports teams.