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A Publication of WTVP

40 Leaders Under Forty

J. Scott Kriegsman | 39

Attorney, Kriegsman Dunn

J. Scott Kriegsman
J. Scott Kriegsman

James Kriegsman is an attorney practicing in personal injury law, workers compensation law, municipal law, estate planning, estate litigation, real estate law, corporate law, commercial litigation and family law. 

He is a past president of the Tazewell County Bar Association and volunteers his time and talents at Prairie State Legal Services, an organization dedicated to providing legal service to low-income individuals and senior citizens with serious civil legal challenges.

Meanwhile, Scott is a third-generation past president of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce and has been a board member at the Dirksen Congressional Center, Pekin Park District and Friends of the Tazewell County Children’s Advocacy Center. He is married to wife Kate, with whom he has a 2-year-old son.

“He’s not afraid to get his boots dirty or to champion a cause in need,” said his nominator. “He supports the arts, recently engaging and encouraging the downtown business community to revamp one of the pocket parks and supporting that project fully. He has lent his professional talents to community organizations in need at no cost. Scott often keeps these contributions discreet, a sign of his character and integrity.”

Childhood ambition: “Warehouseman. My great-grandfather started what is now KMI in Pekin in 1913. Working in the warehouse was always something that was important to our family and seemed like a logical fit, as everyone in our family has typically worked in the family business at one point or another. Along the way I felt as though continuing my education through law school would both benefit me and eventually the family business. Now, as a full-time attorney, practicing law has been a great way to try to help people in our local community who deal with everyday problems …” 

Favorite cause: “The Tazewell County Children’s Advocacy Center. Through my work and my wife’s own legal work, we have seen numerous situations where kids, our community’s most vulnerable, are having to discuss and recover from unimaginable traumas. The Tazewell Children’s Advocacy Center provides extremely important and high-quality services … and I’ll never stop advocating for keeping those services well-funded.”

Top leadership characteristic: “Humility. Too many good leaders lack the ability to set aside ego and listen to others who may have a better idea or path forward.”

Local inspiration: “Everett Dirksen. As a born-and-raised Pekin ‘kid,’ this may seem obvious, but in these (and those) politically toxic and divided days, I always admired Dirksen’s ability to cross the aisle and help accomplish important political and societal objectives … Bob Michel (and later Ray LaHood) displayed many of the same traits.”

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