Ronald E. “Doc” Halliday committed to justice for
Central Illinois
by Vicky Hallstrom, COURIER NEWSPAPERS
As clients walk through the law office of Ronald E. "Doc" Halliday, they can see the words
"Leading Lawyer"
numerous times. That is because Halliday has won several awards from the
Leading Lawyer Network. His most recent award for
2013 sits on a table near thedoor; similar awards from
previous years are displayed on desks and shelves
throughout his office.
The Leading Lawyer awards mean that Halliday has
earned the respect and admiration of his peers. The
network conducts a survey and asks lawyers, "If
your family member needed legal help and you could
not take the case, to whom would you
refer them?" Lawyers may not nominate themselves.
Only lawyers who are most often nominated by their
peers are eligible for membership in the Leading Lawyers
Network. The awards are an indicator that Halliday
cares for his clients. He prides himself on his reputation
for honesty and hard work defending people in Central Illinois.
Halliday, a Peoria native, is a graduate of Richwoods High School. He also graduated from Illinois
State University with a degree in secondary education. He had planned to become a
math teacher when his friend suggested that they go to law school together. The pair found
and enrolled in the University of Tennessee School of Law. After earning his law degree,
he
returned to Peoria and began his career working as a public defender in 1976.
"That's where Drew (Parker) and I met. We were both part time public defenders for Peoria in the
felony division. We'd do murders, rapes, burglaries, that kind of thing."
Halliday is one of a limited number of criminal defense attorneys who has won a death
penalty murder case. Through his own investigation, he uncovered new evidence and witnesses
which convinced him, and the jury, that his client was innocent. "How I won that case was I
went to speak with a woman whose name was on the police report. I asked her; I said, 'in here it
says you can't identify the person that shot him-' and she said, 'no.' Then I showed her a picture of
my client and she said, 'well I can't say who shot him, but I can guarantee it wasn't him. The guy that
shot him had a thin face, and was a lot taller than your guy.' So she was my key witness.
The States Attorney's Office never interviewed her, because she said she couldn't identify
anything. So this came as a complete shock to the prosecutor."
In 1978 Halliday went into private practice with a partner Drew Parker. The law office of
Parker and Halliday evolved, over the next 33 years. They handled personal injury and worker's
compensation cases, including wrongful death, medical
malpractice, automobile accidents, and other negligence cases.
Halliday has tried over 100 civil and criminal jury trials. He tried many cases in Federal Court
and has appeared in front of the Illinois State Court of Appeals,
the
Illinois
State Supreme
Court and the United States Court of Appeals. He has also been admitted to practice
before the United States Supreme Court. He was a Master in the Clarence Darrow Inns of Court,
a select group of attorneys chosen by peers and judges. During
the
past
decade, Halliday has
focused his career primarily on personal injury and worker's compensation claims. He works hard
to see that people are treated fairly by their employers.
Last July, Halliday split from his partnership with Parker. As part of his own career goals, he left his
downtown Peoria office and opened his own practice at the Junction City Shopping Center on
Prospect Road. Halliday says he was thankful for his years with Parker.
"We didn't get in any fight; we didn't have three fights in 33 years," he says. Halliday says the
change has been a positive one.
"There aren't many attorneys outside of the downtown area. I can't believe how much business I
have been getting from people who don't want to go downtown."
Halliday says that his new location is more convenient for him because it is only five minutes away
from his home. He is married to Mari Halliday and has three children: Patrick, Casey and Abby.
Halliday and his wife have been actively involved in the Children's Miracle Network. He
also works with the Peoria District 150 Foundation. He spends his free time cheering on the
University of Tennessee foot- ball team and the Bradley University basketball team, for which
he has been a season tick et holder for the past 40 years.
He enjoys playing golf and tournament poker. He recently played in the World Series of Poker,
in Las Vegas.
Halliday says that Peoria is a great place to practice law."You can trust everybody. In
Peoria, all the lawyers are straight-forward; no one's cut- throat, or goes behind your back or
anything like that." Halliday adds, "I really enjoy practicing law. It's interesting. I like dealing
with people and helping them out. Sometimes it's just about 'what's right is right and what's
wrong is wrong'-that's the fun part about it. I really do enjoy.