Anita Alvarez
First female and the first Hispanic Cook County State’s Attorney
When Anita Alvarez was elected to serve as the Cook County State’s Attorney in 2008, she became the first female and the first Hispanic ever to hold that position. She has spent her entire legal career in the State’s Attorney’s Office representing the victims of crime in Cook County. Since taking office, Alvarez has stepped up the investigation and prosecution of public and government corruption; opened four new community-based prosecutions office; formed a mortgage fraud investigations and prosecutions unit; and worked to stem the tide of gang and gun violence in Cook County. She also created a Human Trafficking Initiative to crack down on individuals and human trafficking groups that exploit children and authored the Illinois Safe Children Act.
Alvarez began her career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in 1986 and steadily worked her way up through the ranks, handling hundreds of felony cases, including homicide, narcotics, armed robbery, criminal sexual assault and domestic violence. She has served as Chief Deputy State’s Attorney, Chief of Staff to the Cook County State’s Attorney, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Bureau, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Bureau and Supervisor of the Public Integrity unity. Alvarez has also been active in various bar associations and organizations. She served as President of the Chicago Bar Association in 2009 and was a founding member of the National Hispanic Prosecutors Association and served as its President.
