A Springfield lawyer faces a two-year suspension of her law license after a state commission cited her recently for unethical conduct during her time employed by the Illinois Attorney General and the city of Springfield.
The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, or ARDC, investigates complaints against lawyers and makes recommendations to the Illinois Supreme Court on sanctions. The suspension for Salena Young will be effective June 12.
The ARDC found that “between November 2021 and June 2023, when she was employed as an assistant Illinois attorney general, (Salena) Young also worked as a part-time Sangamon Public Defender and operated a solo law practice while submitting time sheets to the Attorney General’s Office falsely stating that she worked full days as an assistant attorney general. After leaving the Attorney General’s Office, she worked as an attorney for the city of Springfield and forwarded confidential emails to her romantic partner.”
The ARDC report identifies the romantic partner by the initials “T.E.” A 2023 inspector general’s report raised allegations against not only Salena Young, but also her husband, Jason Young, and another lawyer, Thomas Ewick.
photo FROM STANGE LAW FIRM WEBSITE
Thomas Ewick was one of three attorneys named in a 2023 report from the state’s executive inspector general. Ewick, along with Jason and Salena Young, were accused of engaging in a scheme to bill multiple entities for the same working hours. The Youngs both had their law licenses suspended as a result, but Ewick continues to practice in Springfield.
While employed by the Illinois Attorney General, Salena Young was supervised by Ewick, who lived with her and her husband.
In 2023, the executive inspector general for the attorney general issued a report accusing the trio of engaging in a scheme that enabled Salena Young to simultaneously work for the attorney general and the Sangamon County Public defender, all while operating a private law practice.
Much of the alleged misconduct happened while Salena Young was purportedly working remotely from her home.
In an April 2024 interview with Illinois Times, she said, “I made a mistake. I should have asked for permission (for outside employment). I love the practice of law.” After learning of the investigation, Salena resigned from her $93,744 a year job with the attorney general’s office.
“I always got the job done,” Salena Young said at the time (“Attorney trio in trouble,” April 25, 2024). “There were never any complaints about the quality of my work. My evaluations were good. I worked long hours late into the evening but did a good job with both jobs. I loved being a public defender and am continuing to work pro bono for some of my clients.”
But the inspector general’s report painted a harsher picture.
The report states that work schedules subpoenaed from the Sangamon County Public Defender and Illinois Attorney General’s offices show her working for both entities during the same hours. Further, the report contends court dockets show both Jason and Salena Young appeared as lawyers in court in private parental rights cases at a time when they were supposed to be working for the taxpayers.
Jason Young was suspended from practicing law for 90 days, beginning Dec. 10, following an investigation into these allegations.
In its press release at the time, the ARDC said, “While serving as an assistant attorney general, he submitted false timesheets on at least 18 occasions. His timesheets reflected that he worked full days for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office when in reality he was instead making court appearances on behalf of his wife, who is also an attorney.”
The ARDC website indicates that Ewick remains licensed to practice and is part of Stange Law Firm’s Springfield office. The ARDC does not comment on pending disciplinary matters, so there is no way to know if he is currently under investigation.
Inspector general Diane Saltoun contended that Ewick was “dishonest,” “provided false information” and “failed to cooperate” with her investigation.
Ewick and Jason Young both left employment with the attorney general on Feb. 15, 2024, about six weeks after the inspector general’s report was issued.
After leaving state employment, Salena Young was hired by the city of Springfield, where she helped enforce the city housing code and conducted litigation.
But when Corporation Counsel Greg Moredock became aware of the inspector general’s allegations, she left city employment.
When contacted recently by IT, Salena Young declined to discuss her law license suspension.
When interviewed in 2024, she said although Ewick was her supervisor, he was not the person responsible for administering her performance evaluations or determining whether she received her promotion. She added it was well-known within the attorney general’s office that Ewick lived with both her and her husband, Jason Young.
But the inspector general said in her report, “Ewick denied having a relationship with S. Young other than being her former supervisor at the (Office of Attorney General). The (inspector general) asked Ewick where he lived but Ewick refused to say.”
The report says while Ewick admitted to having a previous relationship with her, he added, “I don’t have a personal relationship with Salena Young.” The report also said Ewick said he did not talk to or get along with Jason Young.
When pressed on where he lived, the report states Ewick said, “It varies from night to night. … I do not live with (Salena) … I do not have a permanent address.”
When asked where he worked during the pandemic, when state offices were closed, the report says Ewick claimed to have worked “mostly out of my car.”
However, the report said the investigation found the trio routinely logged into the state’s computer system from the same residential address.
The report also said that Ewick denied helping Salena Young maintain multiple jobs during the same work hours.
“It is reasonable to conclude from the evidence … that S. Young and J. Young, for their collective benefit, intentionally and repeatedly stole and abused significant amounts of state time by performing other paid employment at the same time they were being paid by the OAG for state work, in violation of the Ethics Act and OAG policies,” the report found.
The investigation further found, “Based on the evidence it is reasonable to conclude that Ewick used state time and resources at the expense of the state to further his and S. Young and J. Young’s personal and financial interest.”