About Kendall D.
Kendall D. Hartsfield took a direct route from political science classrooms to the courtroom. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Western Illinois University in 1999, followed by an M.A. in Political and Justice Studies from Governors State University in 2001. He completed his legal education at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, receiving his J.D. in 2008. Those academic years shaped an approach that blends policy study with courtroom practice.
After law school he entered private practice and became licensed to appear in Illinois courts and before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Over time he joined a number of professional organizations that align with courtroom work. He holds membership in the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, and he has maintained memberships in national groups such as the American Bar Association’s Litigation and Criminal Justice Sections since 2005. He also joined the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2010.
Hartsfield’s involvement in local bar governance is notable. He served as Vice Chairperson of the DuPage County Bar Association’s Criminal Law Division in 2016, then as Chairperson in 2017. Those roles placed him among practitioners shaping local criminal law programming and peer discussion. He is also a member of the Cook County Bar Association, active there since 2010.
His courtroom work is rooted in criminal defense and litigation. He represents clients in state and federal venues and participates in matters that require trial preparation and court appearances. He has practiced from multiple offices to serve a broad suburban and city clientele. Hartsfield Law lists offices in the northwest suburbs—Rolling Meadows—and in Chicago, where he maintains an active practice.
Peers and clients encounter an attorney whose background combines political study and formal legal training. The years spent in policy-oriented graduate study and then in law school inform how he evaluates cases and presents them at trial. He remains an active member of several bar organizations and has taken leadership duties in county-level bar sections. He currently practices criminal defense and litigation at Hartsfield Law, operating from offices in Rolling Meadows and Chicago.
