Judge Pavich was appointed as an Associate Circuit Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit
in February of 2019. Since his appointment, Judge Pavich has presided over numerous civil,
domestic violence and criminal trials. Most recently From 2020-2024, Judge Pavich presided
over the Guardianship, Adoption and Juvenile Abuse and Neglect courtrooms, addressing some
of the most sensitive cases in the entire Circuit. Presently, Judge Pavich presides over a
Misdemeanor courtroom. Judge Pavich has also been involved in Illinois’ continuing judicial
education program, having taught Adoption Law to Illinois’ judges during a recent bi-annual
judicial education conference. Judge Pavich has also published articles in various legal journals.
 

Prior to his judicial appointment, Judge Pavich concentrated his private practice in
international human rights law. As part of his practice, Judge Pavich represented numerous
victims of international human rights abuses, including victims of the Hungarian Holocaust and
victims of war crimes committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Judge
Pavich was also a member of a trial team which secured a ten-figure judgment against the
Republic of Iraq’s Ministry of Defense on behalf of his client, an American military contractor
working in post-war Iraq. Judge Pavich has practiced at the United States Supreme Court,
numerous federal appellate and district courts and throughout Illinois trial and appellate courts.
Judge Pavich is also a licensed Solicitor in England and Wales, where he has been on the Roll of
Solicitors for over fifteen years.
 

Before entering private practice and soon after his graduation from Loyola
University Chicago School of Law, Judge Pavich entered on duty
with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an undercover special operations officer with the
Directorate of Operations, where he was assigned to counterterrorism and counter-
proliferation operations. As a CIA officer, Judge Pavich was involved in numerous operations
throughout the Balkans, Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Judge Pavich received
multiple Exceptional Performance Awards for his work on several covert operations.
 

Judge Pavich resides in Frankfort with his wife, Kelly, his sons, Andrew and Matthew,
and the family’s two dogs. The family enjoys traveling, immersing themselves in the world and
its many cultures, volunteering for, and contributing to, causes they hold dear, and all things ice
hockey – especially the Blackhawks!