From the Dean Public Interest Award Nominations Each year, the law school honors alumni who demonstrate outstanding public service leadership with The Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Award. The award is given in honor of our esteemed alumnus, the Hon. Abraham Lincoln Marovitz ‘25, who served as a Senior Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for almost 40 years. It includes a significant stipend intended to offset the cost of law school loan repayment for alumni who take lower-paid public interest positions. I encourage you to nominate a fellow alumnus or alumna who deserves this honor. Alumni working in the public interest sector who have graduated in the last 15 years are eligible. Nominations are accepted until Friday, February 13, 2009. The award will be presented at our Public Interest Awards and Networking Reception on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. In the meantime, I look forward to visiting those of you in a warmer part of the country on my upcoming trip to Arizona. Later in the spring, we will host alumni gatherings in Houston, Sarasota, and Washington D.C., so watch the E-Brief and the Alumni Calendar for information in the coming months.   Sincerely, Harold J. Krent Dean and Professor of Law

Jane McBride '95 (L) and Julie Sollinger '96 (R), the 2008 recipients of the Marovitz Award. Nominations for the 2009 awards are now open.

In This Issue

News and Announcements

Become an Alumni Ambassador

Help us recruit the best and brightest law students to Chicago-Kent by serving as an Alumni Ambassador.

A Chicago-Kent Alumni Ambassador works with the Office of Admissions to call admitted students who haven’t confirmed their attendance to Chicago-Kent. The purpose of the phone call is to introduce the school through an alumnus’ eyes and answer any questions the student might have.  Our goal with the program is also to match alumni with students who have similar backgrounds or interests.

All calls to admitted students will occur during February and March 2009. The deadline to sign up to be an Ambassador is January 15, 2009. 

Apply to Serve on the 2009-2010 Chicago-Kent Alumni Board of Directors

Applications are available to volunteer for Chicago-Kent Alumni Board of Directors. The Alumni Board of Directors represents the Chicago-Kent alumni community by overseeing and supporting various programs and events. The Board is dedicated to the goal of strengthening bonds between the law school and its students and graduates, and serves as a voice for the Chicago-Kent alumni community.

If you are interested in applying or nominating a fellow alumnus/a to be a Board of Director, please return the application by March 2, 2009.  If you have questions, please contact Tara Anderson, Director of Alumni Relations at 312.906.5245 or tanderson@kentlaw.edu.

Financial Crisis Primer

Professor Felice Batlan and Chicago-Kent student, William Allen '10, are co-editors of the 2008 Financial Crisis Primer, an evolving, online compilation that highlights of some of the best and most accessible resources on the financial crisis, including the congressional testimony of key players, articles on the failure of regulation, editorials on the government's bailout of banks, books on previous financial debacles, and the voices of people who have lost homes in foreclosures. The editors invite suggestions for new material to post as events unfold.

Submit Your Class Notes by January 15

Got news? Submit your class notes for the Spring 2009 Chicago-Kent Magazine.  If you have a class note update, please log on to the Alumni Online Community to make your class note submission and let us know what is going on in your life, or send an email to alums@kentlaw.edu. (If you are not yet a member of the online community, sign up here).

Class notes submitted by Thursday, January 15 will be included in the Spring 2009 issue of Chicago-Kent Magazine. We look forward to hearing what you are up to!  

Build Your Social and Professional Networks Online

Looking to grow your personal and professional network? In addition to all the features offered on the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community, there are also several options for alumni to connect with each other through various social networking sites:

• Facebook: Become a Chicago-Kent Facebook Fan to view upcoming events, law school news, and more!
  
  
• LinkedIn: Join the Chicago-Kent LinkedIn group to connect professionally with Chicago-Kent alumni and participate in career-related discussions.  
  
  
• Twitter: Are you a Twittizen? Get your news on the go with IIT/Chicago-Kent’s new Twitter page at twitter.com/illinoistech.

Got News? Have you won an award, gotten married, or joined a new firm? Brag about it! Post a class note on the Alumni Online Community to share your career, family, and community milestones with fellow alumni, or check out the community to discover news about your classmates. Class notes received by Thursday, January 15 will be included in the Spring 2009 issue of the Chicago-Kent Magazine. To read or post class notes, visit www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/notes. Not yet a part of the community? Request your login information.

Save the Date

Social Events - Regional

Arizona Alumni Gathering
Sunday, January 25, 2009
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Camelback Inn, 5402 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85252

Dean Harold J. Krent will host a cocktail reception for Chicago-Kent and IIT alumni at the Marriott Camelback Inn in Scottsdale.

RSVP by Wednesday, January 21, 2009 to alums@kentlaw.edu or (312) 906-5240.

CLE Opportunities

Using Technology to Organize and Present Cases
Friday, February 27, 2009
9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Marovitz Courtroom, Chicago, IL 60661

This seminar will illustrate how technology is effectively used to present information to juries and mediation panels, to manage complex litigation, to prepare and execute cross examination, and to assess feedback from focus group presentations. Attendees will see demonstrations of innovative technology in opening and closing argument presentations, direct examination of expert witnesses, and mediation presentations.

Attendees are eligible for 7.0 Hours of IL MCLE credit. For more information and to register, visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle.

Past Event Highlights

2008 Alumni Awards & Recognition Luncheon

Nearly 300 alumni and friends of the law school attended the 2008 Alumni Awards & Recognition Luncheon on December 11, 2008 at the Standard Club. The event, emceed by Chicago TV/Radio Personality, Bruce Wolf ’81, and hosted by the Chicago-Kent Alumni Board of Directors, honored the 2008 Alumni Award Recipients and recognized those individuals who volunteered for the law school in 2007-2008.

(Back, L-R) 2008 Alumni Award Recipients: Mark Cumba ’98; Michael Marick ’82; Bruce Kohen ’79; Dean Harold J. Krent; and James C. Franczek, representing Franczek Radelet & Rose P.C. (Front, L-R) Margaret Firnstein ’99, Dina Merrell ’95, and Mary Anne Smith ’77, IIT MS '73.

• Distinguished Service Award
  Dina Merrell '95, Associate Director, The Chicago Bar Foundation
  Mary Anne Smith '77, IIT MS '73, Vice President and General Counsel, Illinois Institute of Technology

• Professional Achievement Award
  Bruce Kohen '79, Managing Partner, Anesi, Ozmon, Rodin, Novak & Kohen Ltd.
  Michael Marick '82, Partner, Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP

• Young Alumni Award
  Mark Cumba '98, Associate, Wilson Petty Kosmo & Turner, LLP
  Margaret Firnstein '99, Associate, SmithAmundsen LLC

• Institutional Partner Award
  Franczek Radelet & Rose P.C.

We thank all the generous sponsors of this event, including Reception Sponsors Anesi Ozmon Rodin Novak & Kohen Ltd. and Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP.

Photos from this event are available on the Alumni Online Community at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/awards2008.