Mike Nerheim
State's Attorney, Lake County

Mike Nerheim was chosen by voters in the November 2012 election to serve as Lake County State’s Attorney. He is recognized for vigorously prosecuting violators of the law and respecting the rights of victims and the accused while ensuring justice for all. As State’s Attorney, Mike oversees an office of 144 attorneys, investigators, victim coordinators, paralegals, and support staff, plus two certified comfort dogs and a corps of volunteers.

Since he was sworn in and assumed the office on December 3, 2012, State’s Attorney Nerheim has made the office more efficient, effective, and transparent while ensuring fairness and justice for all citizens. He has focused on the issue of preventing wrongful convictions, worked with law enforcement to address the huge surge in gangs and gang violence in our community, developed a county-wide opioid prevention strategy and co-founded the Lake County Opioid Initiative, and worked to restore the public’s trust in the office, among other priorities.

State’s Attorney Nerheim created a first-of-its-kind Case Review Panel consisting of volunteer legal professionals who bring a wide range of experience, including from outside of Lake County. As an independent review board, the panel’s duty is to focus on the issue of wrongful convictions and to review cases where there is evidence of actual innocence. The independent Case Review Panel is supplemented by an in-house Conviction Integrity Unit comprised of senior-level staff. Additionally, he created a Citizens Advisory Board comprised of a diverse group of community leaders to engage the public on key issues related to crime, public safety, and restoring trust in the criminal justice system.

State’s Attorney Nerheim began his legal career in 1999 as an Assistant State’s Attorney. He has extensive experience working in all criminal divisions of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, handling every type of case including traffic, misdemeanor, domestic violence, criminal sexual assault, drug trafficking, gang-related crimes, crimes against children and the elderly, official misconduct, and murder.

State’s Attorney Nerheim is an experienced prosecutor and former defense attorney, with more than 16 years of experience and perspective on both sides of the law. His in-depth experience includes not only criminal law, but also areas of complex civil litigation and municipal law. As a private practitioner, he was appointed by the courts to investigate post-conviction issues and has represented indigent defendants.

As a former Assistant State’s Attorney and defense attorney, and now as State’s Attorney, he is respected by the defense bar, victim advocates, and federal, state and local law enforcement.

State’s Attorney Nerheim hosts and participates in numerous educational and public safety forums across Lake County. He also is frequently called upon to lecture nationally on a variety of criminal justice issues, including gangs, conviction integrity, and the opioid epidemic. He is on the faculty at Columbia College of Missouri where he teaches “The Laws of Evidence” and “Ethics in Law Enforcement.”

State’s Attorney Nerheim has demonstrated strong leadership and business experience, and is extensively involved in the Lake County community. He is Chairman and Co-Founder of the Lake County Opioid Initiative, and chairs the Lake County Domestic Violence Council, the Lake County Sexual Assault Council, and the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council. He was appointed as Co-Chairman of the Suburban Anti-Heroin Task Force and co-chairs the Executive Committee for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois. He is on the board of directors of Nicasa, Lake County Bar Foundation, United Way of Lake County, and Former Inmates Striving Together (F.I.S.T.). He serves on the College of Lake County Criminal Justice advisory board and the advisory boards for Lake County Crime Stoppers and Staben House. Mike is a member of the National Commission on Forensic Science Sub-Committee on Human Factors in Washington DC, the Lake County After School Coalition, and the Lake County Underage Drinking and Drug Prevention Task Force. Mike is The Judge Advocate, Lake County Council of the Navy League of the United States, and serves as Teen Court Judge in Warren Township.

He is a member of the Lake County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.

State’s Attorney Nerheim was named the 2015 Justinian of the Year by the Coalition to Reduce Recidivism, 2014 State’s Attorney of the Year by the Illinois State Crime Commission and 2013 Person of the Year by the United Hellenic Voters of America. He was awarded the 2015 Executive Director’s Award from the Lake County Juvenile Officer’s Association, the 2014 Frederic Milton Thrasher Award from the National Gang Crime Research Center for outstanding leadership in prosecution, and the 2014 Moxie Award from the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA) for supporting sexual assault victims and justice through the criminal justice system. Mike was recognized with the 2014 Community Leadership Award from the Overdose Awareness Day Planning Committee and the 2013 Home for the Holidays Award from Waukegan Township for his dedicated service and commitment to the Eddie Washington Center and Staben House.

State’s Attorney Nerheim is a lifelong resident of Lake County. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota and earned his Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois.

Articles

  1. Confronting Addiction: Addressing the Opiate Epidemic in Lake County