BROOKE R. WHITTED is a partner in the law firm of Whitted, Takiff & Hansen, LLC. His practice focuses on areas of mental health (confidentiality, procedures, and representation of mental health providers and institutions), education, and select criminal and juvenile matters, usually when disability is involved. Prior to forming his firm, Brooke was an equity partner at the Chicago litigation firm of Foran & Schultz for six years and, from 1980 to 1995, majority partner in his own firm. Prior to entering private law practice in 1978, he was a Field Probation Officer for the Cook County Juvenile Court.

Brooke is currently the President of the Leslie Shankman School Corporation, which operates two well-known private schools for disabled students at the University of Chicago, and will finish construction of a new home for the schools in March 2014. He also chairs, and is a cofounder of, the Board of Directors for the Harold and Rose Marie Marx Memorial Fund, Inc., which has been helping Cook County Juvenile Court wards for almost 25 years. Brooke is a former member of the board of directors of the National Runaway Switchboard, Heartspring/Wichita, Glenview Youth Services and a founding board member of Shelter, Inc. He is a current faculty member of the UIC Medical School Department of Psychiatry (teaching "Law and Psychiatry" to child fellow candidates from UIC and Rush for over 20 years) and a member of the Illinois Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children. He is the Private Provider gubernatorial appointee to the Illinois Community and Residential Services Authority, a unique small state agency helping Illinois children with complex emotional challenges locate the services they need. There is no other state agency like the CRSA in the country.

Brooke was also appointed by the State Superintendent of Education to serve on an Anti-Bullying/Harassment Task Force, which presented its comprehensive report to the Illinois Legislature on March 1, 2011. He was also appointed by the Speaker of the Illinois House to membership on the Task Force on Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children, which has also presented its report to the legislature.

Brooke has represented child, family, mental health and educational agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area, such as the National Runaway Switchboard and Jewish Child and Family Services, also including scores of fine nonpublic schools for disabled children. He has also represented many out of state schools serving Illinois students. Brooke also represents related professional associations including the Illinois Psychological Association. Sample clients include the Francis Parker School, the Chicago City Day School, the Science and Arts Academy, and other fine private regular education schools.

Brooke has been published or interviewed on a variety of topics related to education, child welfare, juvenile law, and mental health. Most recently, Brooke appeared on WBEZ on two occasions on December 13 and 16, 2013 to discuss the serious and shocking shortage of services in Illinois for mentally ill children. His firm website has many memos and alerts for related and developing areas of law: www.wct-law.com. Many of these are intentionally not copyrighted so those who are interested can freely use them. Attribution is appreciated, but not required.