Tom Yu serves as the City Attorney for the City of Champaign. As City Attorney, he is responsible for supervising the Legal Department staff and providing legal advice to the City Council, City Boards and Commissions, the City Manager, and all department heads within the City organization.

Along with providing legal counsel to departments within the City organization, his duties include advising on ethical issues, monitoring compliance with State statutes, including the Municipal Code and the Election Code, coordinating communication and lobbying efforts with the State legislature, as well as managing the prosecution and defense of cases involving the City, its officials, and employees.

Mr. Yu joined the City of Champaign in 2017. Prior to his appointment to City Attorney on September 12, 2022, he served as Assistant City Attorney in the Legal Department. Before joining the City, Tom was a Senior Associate at Thomas Mamer, LLP in Champaign, Senior Associate at Jeep & Blazer, LLC in Hillside, and Assistant State’s Attorney for the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Mr. Yu is a graduate of the University of Illinois and received his Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2000.

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Jennifer Gover Bannon serves as the Deputy City Attorney for the City of Champaign. As Deputy City Attorney, Ms. Bannon serves as chief legal counsel for City Boards and Commissions, the City of Champaign Township, and the Champaign Public Library. Along with these responsibilities, Ms. Bannon provides legal counsel to all City departments regarding personnel matters involving union and non-bargaining unit employees. She is the principal advisor to the Champaign Fire Department, Equity and Engagement Department, and the Human Resources Department. Ms. Bannon also acts as the principal advisor to the City Clerk regarding elections and Open Meetings Act compliance and is the ethics officer for City staff.

Ms. Bannon joined the City of Champaign Legal Department as an Assistant City Attorney in 2014. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2011. Prior to joining the City of Champaign, Ms. Bannon practiced municipal law in Minneapolis, Minnesota as an associate with the firm Rupp, Anderson, Squires & Waldspurger, P.A.

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