January was an extraordinary month for Chicago-Kent. Alumnus Roy Palmer and his wife, Susan, have made a generous pledge of $1 million to the law school. A brief article in this issue, as well as a feature on our Web site, tells more about this milestone for Chicago-Kent. The Palmers’ foresight and commitment to the law school should help pave the way for development of a residence hall near our Adams Street home in the near future.

We are also proud of another outstanding highlight: Chicago Lawyer in its January 2006 issue named Professor Richard J. Conviser among the 10 Best Law Professors in Illinois. With Chicago-Kent since 1973, Richard is known not only as the head of Bar/Bri, but as a fantastic practitioner of the Socratic craft.

I hope to see you at one of the many events organized by the Office of Alumni Relations in conjunction with the Alumni Board of Directors. Please peruse the list below and decide which events best fit your schedule and interests. Finally, please keep us advised of your wonderful accomplishments – following your careers is one of the most gratifying aspects of being dean.

Sincerely,
Harold J. Krent
Dean and Professor of Law

Roy and Susan Palmer

Roy and Susan Palmer Pledge $1 Million to Chicago-Kent

We are proud to announce that attorney Roy C. Palmer '62 and his wife, Susan M. Palmer, have pledged a $1 million gift to Chicago-Kent College of Law.

A Chicago-Kent alumnus and a member of the board of overseers, Mr. Palmer and his wife have earmarked their gift to support the expansion of the law school’s campus. Roy and Susan’s pledge will make this the largest gift ever given by a living alumnus to Chicago-Kent.

To learn more about the Palmers’ gift to Chicago-Kent, visit http://www.kentlaw.edu/news/releases/palmer_gift.html.

Take Part in the Next Take a Break!

Over 50 students, thanks to the SBA, listened attentively to volunteer alumni who took part in Take a Break.

The January Take a Break was a hit among both students and alumni, as future lawyers listened to Chicago-Kent alumni discuss their personal reminisces on the early days of their careers. Board members Tarek A. Fadel ’03 and Paul A. Miller ’00, with the Office of Alumni Relations and the SBA, organized the informal luncheon, which brought in over 50 eager students ready to ask questions and learn from the pros.

Special thanks to the following panelists, who shared their insights on the January topic, Transactional vs. Trial, Corporate and Commercial Litigation:

Andrew P. Bleiman ’98, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP
Craig E. Donnelly ’04, Connelly, Roberts & McGivney
Tarek A. Fadel ’03, AdaptiGroup LLC
John Fogarty ’99, Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, PC
Ronette Leal-McCarthy ’03, Ancel Glink & et al
Jeffrey A. Schulkin ’95, Munday & Nathan

Take a Break needs you! The following is the Take a Break schedule for the remainder of the semester:

Tuesday, February 21 at Noon -- General public sector government and municipal work

Tuesday, March 7 at Noon -- Alternative legal careers

If you can speak on either of the above topics, please consider volunteering an hour of your time by contacting Barbara Matthopoulos at bmatthopoulos@kentlaw.edu, or phone (312) 906-5245, so that we may plan on your attendance.

Authors’ Lunches at Union League Club

Exclusive to our Chicago-Kent alumni, we are now presenting Union League Club’s Authors Lunches. Each month, the Union League Club hosts several authors for a lunch and discussion on current, popular books. This special offer to our alumni is $25 per person, and is paid directly to Chicago-Kent, inclusive of lunch, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Reception begins at 11:30 AM, with lunch followed at Noon. Plan on bringing a colleague or friend and reserve your seats, today!

To review the calendar of recent authors who have spoken, as well as those up-and-coming, visit http://www.kentlaw.edu/depts/alums/unionleague.html.

New Alumni Relations Web Site

As we prepare for the launch of our new online community and web-based directory of alumni, we have begun changing the Chicago-Kent Alumni web site. Be sure to visit http://www.kentlaw.edu/depts/alums/  for the latest alumni news, as well as details on all our events!

Chicago Intellectual Property Colloquium        

Tuesday, February 7
4:10 PM - 5:50 PM
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Room 140

Professor Christopher Cotropia from Tulane University Law School will speak at the next event in the Spring 2006 Chicago Intellectual Property Colloquium. To view Professor Cotropia's paper, "The 'Suggestion Test' as a Rule of Evidence in Patent Law," visit the Colloquium's web site at http://www.chicagoip.com.

Each year, during the Spring academic semester, Chicago-Kent and Loyola invite six nationally renowned intellectual property scholars to Chicago to present and discuss their current research projects before intellectual property faculty from Chicago-area law schools, prominent intellectual property practitioners, and selected students from Chicago-Kent and Loyola ("Chicago IP Colloquium Fellows").

Chicago Federation of Labor AFL-CIO and Institute for Law and the Workplace present the 7th annual Distinguished Labor Leader Lecture

Tuesday, February 28
12:00 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law

Terence M. O’Sullivan has been General President of the Laborers’ International Union of North America since January 1, 2000. He is known as an innovator among the newest generation of labor leaders dedicated to aggressive and sometimes radical approaches designed to increase the power of working people in the 21st century.

This year’s lecture begins at noon and will be followed by a reception at 1:00 p.m. The lecture is free and no registration is required. For further information visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle or call (312) 906-5090.

The Institute for Law and the Workplace Celebrates its 10th Anniversary!

Thursday, March 2
5:30PM – 7:30 PM
Chicago-Kent 10th Floor Events Room

Join Professor Martin H. Malin, director, and anniversary committee chairs Gary L. Bailey ’86, Ronald J. Kramer ’92, and Cathy L. Rath ’01 to honor the ILW 10th anniversary at a cocktail reception.

The anniversary committee has set a goal of $25,000 to benefit the Alumni Labor Law Scholarship Fund. For more information on how you can honor the ILW, contact Mark Boeck at mboeck@kentlaw.edu, or (312) 906-5236.

Out-of-Town Events

Will you be in any of these cities during our out-of-town alumni events? If so, plan on joining us as Dean Krent meets and greets alumni in Florida, Arizona and California on these dates:

Florida
Miami area – Thursday, March 9, 6:00 PM at Maroosh Restaurant
Sarasota - Saturday, March 11, 11:00 AM at Es Ca Bay, the home of Roy and Susan Palmer

Arizona
Phoenix area – Sunday, March 26 ( location and time TBA)
Los Angeles area – Monday, March 27 (location and time TBA)