Jessica Bannister

Favorite quote:
"I flew thousands of flights in the last 42 years, but my entire career is now being judged on how I flew on just one of them. This has been a reminder to me: We need to try to do the right thing every time, to perform at our best, because we never know which moment in our lives we'll be judged on."
        —Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, Highest Duty

I (Rick Law) have known and worked with Jessica for over twenty years. To me, she is a model of initiative. I once asked her what motivated her to always strive for excellence, and she replied, "In every job I've ever had, I have looked around to see what other people did not want to do — and then I learned how to do that. I figured when it came time to lay people off, I'd be the last one that they let go!"

Jessica's most significant relationships are with her husband, Jerry, and her parents, John and Jodeen. One of her very favorite things is a good night's sleep! Something that really bugs her, on the other hand, is hypocrisy. She enjoys cooking, gardening, walking (she does an 8-minute mile!). When she's not at the office, you are likely to find her in her back yard. Two of her other favorite places are Hawaii and Van Buren State Park in Michigan.

Recently she shared her thoughts on significant life experiences that have helped her to become the person that she is. She said,

"I was very fortunate to have grown up on a farm because that experience shaped me into the person I am today. I learned at a very early age that that there will always be certain tasks that must be done, no matter what. It didn't matter if it was raining or snowing, or if you weren't feeling good; there were animals to be fed and chores to be done. I learned to always perform every task to the best of my ability because the end result is determined by the quality of the effort. I also learned that, even though you did your best, things may not always turn out as you hoped, regardless of the amount of planning and work that went into it. There are certain things (such as weather) that are beyond our control. But, every time something didn't work out quite right, we gained experience from it. My dad told me once that an education can be an expensive thing, and he wasn't talking about tuition. Life itself is an education, but it is up to us to recognize and learn the lesson so that we don't repeat the same mistakes."

It is a joy for all of us — and our clients — to have Jessica as a part of the Law ElderLaw team.

Resume highlights

• Institute of Internal Auditors, concentration on Identity Theft and Real Estate Fraud
• Board of Directors, Illinois Land Title Association
• Vice President, Claims and Investigations, local title insurance company
• Compliance Officer and Internal Auditor, local title insurance company