What is Ed's Story?
About Ed
Ed Mullen is an independent and progressive Democratic candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives in the 11th District. Ed is a civil rights lawyer with a long history of community involvement and political engagement. He is committed to bringing political reform and progressive values to Springfield.
After graduating from law school, Ed worked as a litigator at law firms in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA before settling in Chicago. Ed represented many clients on a pro bono (“no fee”) basis, including a high school student facing sexual orientation discrimination, a woman who sought to adopt her niece because the childʼs mother had abandoned her, and a non-profit website operator who was sued for unauthorized postings made on his site, among others. As a partner in the Chicago office of his law firm, Ed spearheaded the firmʼs pro bono and community service efforts. He left private practice to become managing attorney at a non-profit dedicated to promoting the rights of people with disabilities.
Ed has been engaged in the political process since he was a high school student, inspired by a speech Mario Cuomo delivered on Earth Day about our responsibilities to the environment. (Of course, his father will say it dates back even further to a petition drive he started in grade school to have the city clear the ice on a local pond for ice skating.) Edʼs political involvement heightened after the heartbreaking Presidential election of 2000, and in 2004, Ed volunteered as an organizer of the Voter Protection Team for the Democratic coordinated campaign in Wisconsin. In that role, he helped build a statewide team of election monitors from the ground up. Since then, Ed has been a strong supporter of Democratic candidates and progressive causes like marriage equality. In 2008, Ed again volunteered for the Voter Protection Team in Wisconsin where President Barack Obama emerged victorious.
Ed lives in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago with his dog, Roscoe. He supports many community organizations, and over the years, he has been involved with Erie Neighborhood House, Equality Illinois, ACLU, Sierra Club, Human Rights Campaign, Victory Fund, Stonewall Democrats, and the Spry School, among others, and he is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association.
Ed earned his law degree with highest honors from the George Washington Law Schooland his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
