About Frank Cece
Frank Cece Jr. earned his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 1991 after completing a B.A. in political science at Loyola University Chicago in 1985. He moved into practice quickly and by the early 1990s was working in public service near the center of Illinois criminal work.
In 1992 he served as an Assistant State's Lawyer in the Cook County State's Lawyer's Office. That early period placed him inside courtroom routines and prosecution files. The job offered steady trial exposure and an orientation toward the procedural demands of criminal cases.
A decade later, in 2002, he opened Cece Law Office. As owner, he has handled a mix of trial and appellate matters. The practice has represented clients in various criminal proceedings and in litigation that reached higher courts. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Cece holds a specific certification: Lead Counsel in Death Penalty Cases from the Illinois Supreme Court Capital Litigation Trial Bar. That credential indicates he has met the state's standards for handling capital cases at trial. Over the years he has taken on cases that required extended preparation, mitigation work, and coordination with experts. The certification shapes the types of files his office accepts and signals particular procedural competences related to capital litigation.
He maintains memberships in several professional organizations. He is a current member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. Those memberships reflect steady participation in the professional networks that handle criminal defense issues in Chicago and across Illinois.
Colleagues and court records show a practice grounded in criminal defense and appellate work rather than in transactional or corporate law. He has balanced courtroom time with the administrative duties that come from running a small firm. Clients who require counsel in serious felony cases, including those involving capital exposure, are the typical matters that reach his desk.
Today he continues to operate Cece Law Office and practices in state and federal courts. His work currently concentrates on criminal defense, including capital litigation and appellate matters.
