John Relias Founding Partner Announces His Retirement

For over 50 years, John Relias has served with great distinction the students, parents, administrators, boards of education, and taxpayers of school districts across the State of Illinois.

John’s distinguished professional career has drawn to a close. He has advised the Firm of his retirement.

Fifty years ago, John graduated, Order of the Coif, from Northwestern Law School following his graduation from Northwestern University, Phi Beta Kappa.

In 1972, John joined Vedder Price Kaufman & Kammholz and for the next 22 years built a deep and broad practice representing school districts in every aspect of school law. He became a partner and served on many of Vedder Price’s key committees.

In 1994, John made the difficult and, at the time, risky decision of helping to start a new law firm, Franczek Sullivan Mann Crement Hein & Relias (now Franczek P.C.).

For the next 28 years, John was instrumental in creating a law firm that now represents over 100 school districts across the State and, thanks in no small part to John, Franczek P.C. is regarded as one of the premier education law firms in the State.

John’s colleagues will greatly miss his counsel, friendship, and sense of humor. His clients will miss his tenacious and always wise representation.

John has very much earned the right to spend time with his daughters and their families,  his grandchildren, and his many friends.

We hope you will join us in thanking John, a truly gifted attorney and, much more importantly, a wonderful person. He will be missed, but never forgotten.