Salvador Cicero | Of Counsel
Education - Undergraduate
University of New Mexico (BA, Latin American Studies (1994))
Education - Graduate School
Matías Romero Institute for Diplomatic Studies in Mexico City (2000)
Ohio State University Moritz College of Law (JD (1998);Certificate in International Trade and Development (1998))
Practice Areas
Awards and Achievements
American Bar Association’s Bronze Key (1997)
American Bar Association’s Silver Key (1998)
Ohio State University Alumni Association’s William Oxley Thompson Award for Early Career Achievement (2004)
Cook County El Humanitario Award (2007)
Martin Luther King DREAM Award (Northwestern University) (2011)
Reflejos Award for Excellence in Service (2012)
League of United Latin American Citizens Man of the Year (2012)
Court Admissions
Illinois Supreme Court (2006)
United States District Court - Northern District Court of Illinois (2007) (General and Trial Bar)
United States District Court - Eastern District Court of Wisconsin
The Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR)
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Chicago
Professional Background
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Salvador Cicero is the Principal of The Cicero Vargas Law Group, P.C. He is admitted to the practice of Law in Illinois and the US Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Trial Bar), the Eastern District of Wisconsin, The Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a trained Mediator.
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A graduate of the Matías Romero Institute for Diplomatic Studies in Mexico City (2000), Mr. Cicero holds a Juris Doctor and a Certificate in International Trade and Development from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law (1998). He received a B.A. in Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico (1994). He holds other post-grades.
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Mr. Cicero currently serves as the Chairman of The City of Chicago’s Human Resources Board (2014-2018). He formerly served in the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations. He served as the President of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI) (2011-2012) and President of HLAI Charities (2012-2015), the charitable arm of the largest Latino Bar Association in our State. He served as the League of United Latin American Citizens’ (LULAC) State Legal Advisor from 2010-2014. He is a member of Chapter 313. He served as member of the Ohio State University Alumni Association Board of Directors (2005-10), where he was Chair of the nominating committee and Vice-Chairman of the Board.
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Prior to opening the firm, Mr. Cicero served as Research Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and Director of the American Bar Association’s Project to Combat Trafficking in Persons in Ecuador. This award winning program was distinguished as a “Best Practice” by the United states Department of State.
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Mr. Cicero was also a career member of the Foreign Service of Mexico, where he served in various senior positions, including Chief for Legal Affairs at the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago; Advisor to Undersecretary for Human Rights; and, Director for Political and Community Affairs of the Foreign Ministry. During his tenure in Chicago he was lead negotiator and co-author of the Memorandum of Understanding between IDCFS and the Mexican Government. He was quoted by the Iowa Supreme Court in the case José & Gonzalo Ledezma vs. Iowa, Decision 234/99-1020, April 25th, 2001 (ordering a new trial and indicating the importance of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations). At the Foreign Ministry he oversaw a broad spectrum of policies related to Mexican communities abroad. He participated in the team of attorneys in the Avena case (Mexico vs U.S.) before the International Court of Justice.
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Mr. Cicero has taught at various Universities, most recently as an Adjunct Faculty member of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He also taught at the Chicago City College’s Workforce Institute and at Northeastern Illinois University. He has spoken at a wide array of Continuing Legal Education seminars.
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Mr. Cicero has published various Law Review articles (Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University and Loyola University law schools) and other academic articles in English and Spanish (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Ecuador).
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After leaving the Foreign Service, Mr. Cicero has lectured in programs throughout the American Hemisphere (19 countries), most notably as an expert for the Organization of American States and as a trainer for United Nations’ Peacekeeping Forces. He has testified before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and has been an invited commentator on national legislation in Mexico and Ecuador.
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Mr. Cicero is also a well-known media commentator on legal affairs and has appeared in media outlets such as Univision News (national & local), Primer Impacto (national), Telemundo News (national & local), TV Azteca, Mundo Fox and National Public Radio (Worldview and featured in “This American Life”). He has been interviewed by Carmen Ariztegui, Ricardo Rocha, RadioRed and the Congressional Channel.
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Among Mr. Cicero's awards and distinctions are: the 2012 Reflejos Award for Excellence in Service; the 2012 League of United Latin American Citizens Man of the Year; the 2011 Martin Luther King DREAM Award (Northwestern University); the 2007 Cook County El Humanitario Award; the Ohio State University Alumni Association’s William Oxley Thompson Award for Early Career Achievement (2004); and the American Bar Association’s Silver Key (1998) and Bronze Key (1997). He is an Honorary Colonel Aide–de-Camp (New Mexico, 1989).
Contact Information
Phone: (312) 888-9659
Twitter: @CiceroSal
Email: Send Email