Ya, shocked me too when heard this! Here’s a quick piece of an article in the “law bulletin” explaining how I made it through law school w/no money, no time to study, passed the bar exam on the 1st try, how I was invited to be sworn in before the united states supreme court justices in dc (pic above always gives me the chills).. And how I thought there was no way I could ever win something like this.. “While Chicago restaurant and entertainment entrepreneur William Monico Dec III attended Chicago-Kent College of Law in the 1990s, he also worked at least 80 hours a week on business interests. ‘I was just happy I made it out of there alive and passed the bar exam on the first try,’ Dec said. Dec, who is known as Billy Dec, graduated from Chicago-Kent in 1999 and was admitted to the Illinois bar on May 6 of that year. Richard S. Kling, a Chicago-Kent clinical professor, said Dec was in his evidence class. ‘I used to tease [Dec] that I’ve seen him more since he left law school than when he was in my class,’ Kling said, adding that Dec regularly missed class due to work. Kling nominated Dec for a Chicago-Kent Alumni Professional Achievement Award, which Dec received recently. Asked about receiving the award, Dec said, ‘I was completely blown away. I walked into that school every day just completely intimidated and afraid because I had no money’ and lacked time to study because of his work schedule. Kling said he nominated Dec for the award because his former student has made his restaurants available at no charge for school events and because Dec is an active supporter of charities and of the arts. Dec holds fundraising events for the Greater Chicago Food Depository and numerous other groups. He also is involved with events for Lookingglass Theatre Company and the Piven Theatre Workshop. ‘I try to help literally more than 100 different groups to have a platform for them to raise money for their own organizations,’ Dec said. Dec is chief executive officer and a founder of Rockit Ranch Productions Inc., a restaurant and entertainment development company with about 500 employees. Rockit Ranch Productions venues are Rockit Bar & Grill, with locations in River North and Wrigleyville; Sunda, a New Asian restaurant; and The Underground, a night club. Dec, a Chicago native, graduated from the Latin School of Chicago in 1990. About the same time, Dec’s father, also named Bill, a real estate developer, declared bankruptcy and the family endured financial ruin, Dec said. While observing the bankruptcy proceedings, Dec said he noticed that ‘the attorneys looked calm and secure.’ With financial aid assistance, Dec attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dec would return to Chicago on weekends to work as a bouncer at a night club. ‘I was really just trying to pay the bills so I could go to class on Monday,’ Dec said. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in late 1994, Dec traveled for several months to the Philippines, where he had family, and to Thailand. Upon his return, Dec enrolled in Chicago-Kent’s day program. But, along with other investors, he opened a night club called Solo about that same time. So, Dec then transferred to the law school’s night program and continued opening about an establishment each year as a law student, he said. After admission to the Illinois bar, Dec said he decided to juggle his business interests with practicing law. Dec opened a law practice with James Paul Valancius. But after about a year, Dec decided he wanted to only follow the entertainment path. ‘I realized practicing law wasn’t for me, relative to the entertainment business, which was sort of booming and thriving for me,’ Dec said. ‘I really loved serving food and drink to Chicagoans.’ As for practicing law again, Dec said, ‘I’ve never had to go back to it and hopefully I never will,’ Dec said. ‘I think it’s a great profession, I’m just not as good as everyone else.’ Dec, however, said he believes his law school education gives him a competitive advantage. ‘I can navigate opportunities and obstacles much faster, much deeper and a lot cheaper than others in my industry because of my legal education and years of applying it to my own business in my own head,’ Dec said. About three years ago, Dec accompanied Chicago-Kent Dean Harold J. Krent and others to be sworn in before the U.S. Supreme Court. Others who received alumni honors at the recent event were the recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, Eldon L. Ham and Joan E. Steinman. Richard L. Rodriguez also received a Professional Achievement Award. The Young Alumni Award was presented to Thomas T. Field and Jonah M. Wolfson, a Miami lawyer, while the Institutional Partner Award went to SmithAmundsen LLC. Krent said the law school was ‘delighted to confer on Billy this Professional Achievement Award in light of his many contributions to the greater city of Chicago.’ Krent said Dec wore a hat at the recent alumni awards event. ‘But the signature hat was missing in the hallowed halls of the [U.S.] Supreme Court,’ Krent said.” – Chicago Law Bulletin
