Chief, Juvenile Division

Lea Norbut is an alumna of Northern Illinois University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree.  She continued her education at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, earning her Juris Doctorate. Ms. Norbut began her legal career at the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in 1990, trying both misdemeanor and felony cases.  She was promoted to Supervisor of the Auto Theft Unit in 1994.  In 1997, Ms. Norbut joined the Attorney General’s Office.  There, she was promoted to Supervisor of the Gang Unit in 1998, prosecuting gang crimes and presenting statewide training for law enforcement personnel.  In 2000, she became Supervisor of the Medicaid Fraud Unit, championing the rights of the elderly and investigating vendor fraud.  In addition, Ms. Norbut was promoted to Deputy Chief of Statewide Grand Jury in 2001, where she prosecuted multi-jurisdictional drug offenses throughout the State of Illinois.  After leaving the Attorney General’s Office, Ms. Norbut returned to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office as Chief of the Criminal Division in 2004, overseeing the Felony and Misdemeanor Divisions, the Juvenile Division, the Complaint Office, the Gang Unit, the Narcotics Unit, the Forfeiture Unit, the Auto Theft Unit, and the Arson Unit.  She is a member of the Capital Litigation Bar as Lead Counsel.  On October 1, 2009, Ms. Norbut assumed the role of Chief of Special Defense and Professional Development at the Will County Public Defender’s Office.  Effective October 31, 2012, Ms. Norbut was selected to replace Mary Rosiek-Cardin as Supervisor of the Juvenile Division at the River Valley Justice Center.