Chicago-Kent College of Law: Alumni E-Brief
Alumni E-Brief
Dean Harold J. Krent

From the Dean

Young Alumni Council

In the fall of 2009, an enthusiastic group of alumni formed the Chicago-Kent Young Alumni Council. Comprised of graduates of the last 10 years, the Council is a committee of Chicago-Kent’s Alumni Board of Directors, created to serve the needs and wants of the law school’s young alumni population. 

Since its inception, the group has hosted socials, sponsored networking events, and held pizza study breaks for students during finals.

I want to thank the Young Alumni Council for helping to build a stronger alumni community.  The Council accepts new members year-round, so if you’re interested, email youngalumni@alumni.kentlaw.edu or attend their upcoming Social on February 10 at Epic (today is the last day to register at the early-bird rate!). 

Although the membership of the Council is limited to the last ten years of graduates, all alumni are invited to attend.  I hope to see you at EPIC on February 10! 

Sincerely,

Harold J. Krent
Dean and Professor of Law

In This Issue

News and Announcements

Arrow Nominate a Deserving Alumnus/a for the Marovitz Public Interest Award
Nominations will be accepted until this Friday, February 4 for The Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz ’25 Public Interest Law Award, which honors alumni who devote their careers to the public good and demonstrate outstanding public service leadership.

Alumni working in the public interest sector who have graduated in the last 15 years are eligible. Please nominate a deserving alumnus/a today!

Nomination Form

The award will be presented at the annual Public Interest Awards Night on Thursday, April 21, 2011.

 

Arrow Access2Practice Summer Legal Externship Program
The practice of law can’t always be taught and learned in a classroom—it’s important to be experienced firsthand. In last month’s e-Brief, Dean Krent announced an enhanced Legal Externship Program at Chicago-Kent, Access2Practice. In an externship, students earn credit hours in lieu of paid wages or a salary, and they participate in a classroom component while completing fieldwork under a supervising lawyer.

In an effort to offer students at Chicago-Kent advantageous legal experiences and help them build a professional network early in their careers, we are asking Chicago-Kent alumni to provide opportunities through the form of an externship. The externship should be an enjoyable one for both supervisor and extern, and should help you get caught up in work.

If you are interested in hosting an extern for the upcoming 8-week summer session, May 23-July 14, 2011, please complete the Externship Interest Form by February 8.

 

Arrow Donate to the Kent Justice Foundation Auction
The Kent Justice Foundation (KJF) at Chicago-Kent promotes public interest law, encourages volunteerism, and supports pro-bono work by providing monetary fellowships to students who hold public interest law jobs over the summer. Each year, a silent and live auction is held to support KJF and their summer fellowship program for students in public interest positions.

You can help: Support KJF through an in-kind donation to the auction. Examples of in-kind donations include sports tickets, gift certificates, or a service you can provide (e.g. allowing a student to shadow you for a day or taking a student out to lunch to discuss careers). All donations are greatly appreciated.

Please contact kjf@kentlaw.edu with any questions or to make a donation.


Arrow Last Day to Become a 2011 Alumni Ambassador
Today is the last day to sign-up to serve as an Alumni Ambassador and help us recruit the best and brightest law students to Chicago-Kent.

Alumni Ambassadors contact admitted students who haven’t yet confirmed their attendance for the upcoming fall semester. It gives you a chance to introduce the law school through the eyes of an alumnus and answer any questions from potential students. Your experiences and memories can have a profound influence on a potential student! Contact with admitted students occurs February through April 2011. Learn more about the program!

Become an Alumni Ambassador

 

Arrow U.S. Supreme Court Group Swearing-In
A few spots still remain to join the Chicago-Kent alumni group swearing-in to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. On Monday, May 23 in Washington, D.C., up to 50 Chicago-Kent alumni will be presented in open court and heard by the Justices. After the swearing-in, stay for a continental breakfast at which Justices may join us (last year, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Ginsburg welcomed our group). You will also have the opportunity for a lecture and tour of the Supreme Court.

Please submit the online information form immediately to reserve a spot. More information is available at www.kentlaw.edu/supremecourt.

 

arrow Professor Lori Andrews Featured in Chicago Magazine
Chicago Magazine
The cover of the February issue of Chicago Magazine: Homes of the Stars edition, which includes a feature called "The Clone Ranger" on Professor Lori Andrews.
Professor Lori Andrews, Distinguished Professor of Law, Director of the Institute for Science, Law and Technology, and Associate Vice President at Chicago-Kent, is featured in the February 2011 issue of Chicago Magazine. The article, which traces her impressive career and high-profile cases, describes Andrews as "one of the world's foremost legal authorities on the most contentious technological and bioethical issues of our time."

The article also discusses her publishing career, including her mystery series involving a fictional geneticist, the "Dr. Alexandra Blake Novels."

Click here to read the article at the Chicago Magazine website.

 

arrow Chicago-Kent Student Groups Receive Nahmod Civil Rights Award
A multiethnic coalition of four student organizations at Chicago-Kent has received the 2011 Sheldon H. Nahmod IIT Civil Rights Award for "continuing and selfless dedication to those in need in their communities and beyond."

The award was presented to representatives from Chicago-Kent's African-American (BLSA), Hispanic-Latino (HLLSA), Asian-Pacific American (APALSA) and South Asian (SALSA) law student associations on January 20 as part of the university's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration.

The award was established in 2010 by IIT's Student Center for Diversity and Inclusion to honor Chicago-Kent Distinguished Professor Sheldon H. Nahmod for his work in civil rights and civil liberties. The award recognizes the contributions and achievements of an upcoming generation of leaders whose work to fight prejudice, oppression and ignorance is having an impact on campuses and communities.

Click here to read the full announcement.

 

arrow Thank you for Supporting Chicago-Kent
Many thanks to all alumni and friends who made a year-end gift to the Chicago-Kent Annual Fund or other law school program. Your support benefits Chicago-Kent students every day. To make a tax-deductible gift for 2011, visit  http://www.kentlaw.edu/give.

 

The Alumni Directory
Want to find fellow alumni in your practice area or city or reconnect with your classmates? Try the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Directory.

Visit www.alumni.kentlaw.edu and log-in with your username and password. (Not yet a part of the community? Request your login information.)

Once logged in, click on Alumni Directory. You can either search by name and class year, or click Advanced Search to search by location, practice area, and even company name.

Please note: The information in the online community is based on the information we have on file for each alumnus. If your information is not correct, please update it by clicking the "My Profile and Blog" link at the top of the page.

If you have any problems logging-in or using the Alumni Online Community, call the Alumni Association at (312) 906-5240 or email alums@kentlaw.edu.

You can also find the Alumni Association online at:

Become a Fan of the Alumni Association on Facebook   Follow the Alumni Association on Twitter   Join the Chicago-Kent LinkedIn Group    Visit the Chicago-Kent You Tube Channel

Save the Date

Social Events - Chicago

Young Alumni Social
Thursday, February 10, 2011
6:00-8:00 p.m.
EPIC, 112 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60654
Last day for early bird RSVP! $15/person through February 1, $25/person February 2-10. Includes appetizers and drinks.
Hosted by the Chicago-Kent Young Alumni Council

Young alumni (and alumni who are young-at-heart!) are invited to mix and mingle with fellow alumni and learn more about the Council.

Save the Date: Chicago-Kent Volunteers
Saturday, March 26, 2011
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Join students, faculty, staff and fellow alumni for a day of volunteering at Working Bikes.  The day will be a great opportunity to give back to a local organization and to meet fellow members of the Chicago-Kent community. Family and friends are welcome!

Working Bikes is a volunteer-driven organization that repairs bicycles and sends them to countries such as Ghana, Tanzania, Angola, and Guatemala. For the people of those countries, a bicycle can often mean the difference between work and unemployment.

More information on volunteering will be available later in February. Please check www.alumni.kentlaw.edu for updates.

Immigration Law Society Networking Soiree
Thursday, March 31, 2011
5:30-7:30 p.m.
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., 10th floor, Chicago, IL 60661
Hosted by the Immigration Law Society

Join us for a chance to meet Chicago-Kent’s future immigration stars and other immigration attorneys in Chicago. RSVP to ils@kentlaw.edu by Monday, March 28.

Save the Date: 4th annual Public Interest Awards Night
Thursday, April 21, 2011
5:00 p.m.
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Governor Richard B. Ogilvie Auditorium, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661

Honoring the 2011 Marovitz Award recipients and other members of the public interest law community. Submit a nomination for a deserving alumnus/a now!

International LL.M. Reunion: 10-Year Anniversary
Thursday, May 19-Saturday, May 21, 2011
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661

Graduates of the international masters of law (LL.M.) at Chicago-Kent are invited to a 10-Year Anniversary Reunion of the program at Chicago-Kent. Reconnect with former professors and fellow alumni while enjoying activities at the law school and around the city. Families are welcome! Please help us spread the word to fellow alumni around the world.

  • Welcome Reception: Thursday, May 19, 2011, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  • LL.M. Reunion Luncheon: Friday, May 20, 2011, 11:30 a.m.
  • Reunion Party on Lake Michigan: Friday, May 20, 2011, Cruise boards at 7:30 p.m.
  • Send-Off Breakfast: Saturday, May 21, 2011, 9:30 a.m.

Registration information will be available later this month at www.kentlaw.edu/LLMreunion. Please direct questions to Tara Anderson at tanderson@kentlaw.edu or (312) 906-5245.
 

Social Events - Regional

Alumni gathering in San Diego 2011San Diego Alumni Gathering
Thursday, March 3, 2011
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Island Prime - C Level, Beach Cabana, 880 Harbor Island Dr., San Diego, CA 92101
Hosted by Mark Cumba '98 and Valerie Garcia Hong '05

Join Dean Harold J. Krent and the Chicago-Kent Alumni Association to meet fellow alumni and to catch up on the latest news from Chicago-Kent.

RSVP by Tuesday, March 1 to alums@kentlaw.edu or (312) 906-5240.

Phoenix Area IIT Alumni Event
Thursday, March 10, 2011
5:00-8:00 p.m.
Desert House, 4812 E. Berneil Drive Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

Meet IIT College of Architecture Dean Donna V. Robertson FAIA, John and Jeanne Rowe Endowed Chair, at a reception in the modern, award-winning family residence of Peter (ARCH '86) and Lynn Koliopoulos. Click here for more information and to register. RSVP by Thursday, March 3.

Washington D.C.-area Alumni Dinner
Sunday, May 22, 2011
6:00 p.m. Cocktails ~ 7:00 p.m. Dinner
The University Club of Washington, D.C., 1135 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Cost: $50/person

Alumni in the Washington, D.C. area are invited to join Dean Krent and alumni Bar applicants being sworn-in to the US Supreme Court the next morning for a dinner at the University Club of Washington, D.C. The dinner will feature special guest speaker Jerry Goldman, director of the Oyez Project. The Oyez Project is a multimedia archive for all audio recorded in the Supreme Court since the installation of a recording system in October 1955, and is now headquartered at Chicago-Kent.

Business attire is required (no denim or athletic shoes).

RSVP by Wednesday, May 18.

RSVP Now!

U.S. Supreme Court Group Swearing-In
Monday, May 23, 2011
10:00 a.m.
United States Supreme Court, One First St, N.E., Washington, DC 20543

Submit the online information form to reserve your spot for the Chicago-Kent alumni Group Swearing-In of the US Supreme Court. Only a few spots remain, so sign-up today!

More information is available at www.kentlaw.edu/supremecourt.

Lectures & Conferences

Spring IP Colloquiums
Professor Kristen Osenga, University of Richmond School of Law
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
4:10-5:50 p.m.
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 111 E. Pearson, 16th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611
Professor Osenga will discuss her paper "Complexity and Patent Claims."

Professor Shyamkrishna Balganesh, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
4:10-5:50 p.m.
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Room 305, Chicago, IL 60661
Professor Balganesh will discuss the paper "Copyright Law as Private Law."

For more information, visit http://chicagoip.com/.

Power, Prestige and Your Personal Brand
Friday, March 4, 2011
1:00-3:00 p.m.
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Room 560, Chicago, IL 60661
Fee: $15.00
Presented by the ISBA Standing Committee on Women and the Law

Featuring a panel of professionals who are experts in image development, branding and presentation, this event will help you build your personal brand and learn how to leverage that brand to further your career.

Register online at www.isba.org by Thursday, February 24. Space is limited. Non-members and law students are welcome to attend.

Chicago-Kent Lambdas 2011 LGBT Civil Rights ConferenceChicago-Kent Lambdas 2011 LGBT Civil Rights Conference
Friday & Saturday, March 4-5, 2011
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60661

Seminar topics include: marriage equality litigation, DADT, LGBT teen suicide, bullying & hate crimes, transgender rights, LGBT political candidacy, the criminalization of LGBT persons, litigating an LGBT civil rights case in Illinois, the similarities between same-sex marriage and interracial marriage bans, and what to expect from civil unions in Illinois. Several hours of CLE credit pending.

The conference will also include two cocktail receptions and a lunch reception. For more information, visit http://cklambdas.com/conference/. Thank you to the sponsors of this year’s conference: Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Goldberg Weisman Cairo, Lark Hill, Chicago-Kent's Institute for Law and the Humanities, Chicago Lesbian & Gay Bar Association, Foley & Lardner LLP, Matthew Lew Gallery, and the National LGBT Bar Association.

33rd annual Kenneth M. Piper Lecture
Privacy, Loyalty and Free Speech: Pushing the Boundaries of the Modern Employment Relationship
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Governor Richard B. Ogilvie Auditorium, Chicago, IL 60661
Eligible for 1.25 hours of IL MCLE credit.
For more information, visit http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lectures/piper.html.

CLE Opportunities

Great Lakes Environmental Law SymposiumGreat Lakes Environmental Law Symposium
Friday, March 4, 2011
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661
Eligible for 2.0 hours of IL MCLE credit
Hosted by the Chicago-Kent Environmental Law Society

Featuring a keynote address by EPA Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman, the symposium will include moderated discussions addressing hot-button topics facing the Chicago Area Waterway System. Panelists include environmental specialists from business and industry, professors of law, news media, state and federal regulators, and non-profit conservation organizations.

For more information and to register, visit www.kentlaw.edu/student_orgs/els/symposium.html. There is a $5 discount for Chicago-Kent alumni.

Hot Topics in Contemporary Labor Relations Law
Friday, March 18, 2011
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661
Eligible for 6.0 hours of IL MCLE credit

Designed for attorneys, labor relations and human resources managers, union business representatives and other labor relations professionals, this one-day conference focuses on major issues under the National Labor Relations Act. The day will offer a diversity of workshops, some dealing with emerging complex issues under the NLRA and others with the basics of practice before the NLRB. A unique feature of this conference will be the opportunity to discuss particular issues during “table talks” over lunch.

Registration Fee: $225/person until March 4 (a $10 per person discount is available to groups that register 4 or more at the same time). After March 4, the fee is $255/person and there is no group discount available.

Click here to view a brochure for the conference, or visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle to register online.

28th annual Section 1983 Civil Rights Litigation Conference
Thursday & Friday, April 14-15, 2011
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661
Eligible for 11.0 hours of IL MCLE credit

This conference offers a comprehensive update on liability arising out of Section 1983, presented by leading experts and eminent legal scholars and designed for municipal & state attorneys, plaintiffs' attorneys and criminal defense attorneys.

Registration Fees: $375/person for Government/Alumni; $425/person until April 1; $450/person after April 1. A $20/person discount is available to groups that register 3 or more individuals at the same time at the early bird or regular rate.

Click here to view a brochure for the conference, or visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle to register online.

Save the Date: 30th annual Tax Institute
Thursday & Friday, May 19-20, 2011
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661
Eligible for 9.0 hours of IL MCLE credit.

Save the Date: 30th annual Conference on Not-For-Profit Organizations
Thursday, June 2, 2011
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661
Eligible for 6.75 hours of IL MCLE credit.

Past Event Highlights

Arrow Student Humanitarian Network Lends a Hand in Louisiana
Student Humanitarian Network members helping with community gardens.
Student Humanitarian Network members helping community centers in Louisiana.

Student volunteers from Chicago-Kent's Student Humanitarian Network recently traveled to New Orleans, LA to work on projects with the Alliance for Affordable energy and the Lower 9th Ward Village community center.

Projects included helping the community center clear a back lot to make way for basketball courts, cleaning and making repairs to their computer lab, working with the Backyard Gardener's Network to update a community garden, and helping a community member with a garden for elderly people in the neighborhood to enjoy.

The Student Humanitarian Network began as the Student Hurricane Network (SHN), a national association dedicated to providing assistance to communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that formed at law schools nationwide in the wake of the hurricanes.

SHN dissolved at the national level in 2005, but the Chicago-Kent Student Humanitarian Network organization has continued to support and organize Chicago-Kent students who are interested in providing assistance to legal agencies involved in hurricane-related projects and additional areas as the city continues to rebuild. The group will make another service trip in the spring.

 

Arrow Professor Brill Receives Named Award for Service to the Profession

The Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) created a new award, the Ralph L. Brill Award, in honor of his 50 years of service to the profession and contributions to the field of legal writing. Professor Brill was the first recipient of the award at the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting.

To see a video of Professor Brill accepting the award, click here.

 

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