From the Dean Celebrating Achievements This month I am pleased to recognize a number of outstanding achievements of our Chicago-Kent family. Former faculty member the Hon. Thomas R. Fitzgerald was recently sworn in as Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Fitzgerald taught at Chicago-Kent between 1986 and 1996 and served as a Trial Advocacy coach. His colleague on the bench is, of course, the Hon. Anne Burke '83. In addition, I applaud six alumni recently named as one of the 2008 "40 Illinois Attorneys under Forty to Watch" by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company. Todd A. Bresney ‘96, associate with Kanoski & Associates, focuses on wrongful death, medical malpractice, and construction site accident cases. He has an incredible 99% success rate on cases that have gone to jury trial.   Stephen P. Ellenbecker ’02 is an attorney with the Gloor Law Group practicing product liability law. He is vice chair of the ABA’s TIPS Product Liability Section and donates his time to the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. Michael B. Harlin ’96, shareholder with McAndrews Held Malloy, Ltd., works on patent issues involving biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. He is president-elect of the Chicago Intellectual Property Alliance. Daniel C. McCabe ’94 is a partner with Gould Ratner practicing commercial litigation. Among his courtroom successes is a $7.5 million judgment for a client in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. Anne Shaw ‘95, owner of Shaw & Associates, practices civil litigation focusing largely on civil rights. She was president of the Asian American Bar Association of Chicago in 2007 and remains a dedicated volunteer for the organization. Jill M. Webb ’96 is a partner with Phillips Law Office who focuses on medical negligence, wrongful death, and personal injury cases. She recently won $2.8 million for her client in a wrongful death case and was second chair in a $50 million medical malpractice case. We are certainly privileged to count these honorees among our alumni, not only for their contributions to the legal profession, but also for their commitment to giving back to the community. For highlights on other alumni accomplishments, please view the Class Notes section on the Alumni Online Community. I encourage you to add your own class note and let us know about the milestones in your life. Sincerely, Harold J. Krent Dean and Professor of Law

The 40 under 40 honorees, clockwise from top: Todd A. Bresney ‘96, Stephen P. Ellenbecker ’02, Michael B. Harlin ’96, Daniel C. McCabe ’94, Anne Shaw ‘95, and Jill M. Webb ’96.

In This Issue

News and Announcements

Harold H. Bruff wins 2008 Palmer Civil Liberties Prize

Harold H. Bruff

The prize was established in 2007 by Chicago-Kent alumnus Roy C. Palmer '62 and his wife, Susan M. Palmer, to honor an exemplary work of scholarship exploring the tension between civil liberties and national security in contemporary American society. The winning author will present his work at Chicago-Kent on Friday, October 10, 2008. (Click here for more information about his forthcoming lecture).  

Bad Advice: The President's Lawyers in the War on Terrorism examines President George W. Bush’s unprecedented claims of unilateral executive power in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Harold H. Bruff is the Charles Inglis Thomson Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law where he has taught since 1996 and served as Dean of the law school from 1996 to 2003. Professor Bruff received his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Visit www.kentlaw.edu/palmerprize for more information about the Palmer Civil Liberties Prize.

2008 Alumni Awards & Recognition Luncheon Sponsorship Opportunities

Each year Chicago-Kent honors distinguished alumni and individuals who serve Chicago-Kent and the legal community. Please join us on December 11, 2008 for our annual Alumni Awards & Recognition Luncheon. For information on this year's event, visit: www.kentlaw.edu/allalumlunch.

The Alumni Awards & Recognition Luncheon, hosted by the Alumni Board of Directors, benefits the Alumni Board of Directors Scholarship, awarded to continuing students based on need. This is an excellent opportunity for you or your firm to support Chicago-Kent students. Sponsorship deadline: Monday, November 24, 2008.

Thank you to our 2008 Sponsors who have committed to this year’s event.

Public Interest Attorneys: Loan Repayment Assistance Program

Given the salary discrepancy between public interest and corporate attorneys, few lawyers can afford to pursue a career in public interest law. Chicago-Kent is committed to helping to close that gap through a newly established program, the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). The mission of the LRAP is 1) to help alumni in low-paying public interest jobs manage student loan debt, so they can remain in their public interest jobs and 2) to encourage current students to consider a public interest career.

Applications can be submitted through December 1, 2008, with awards granted in February 2009. For more information on the LRAP and to apply, please visit http://www.kentlaw.edu/publicinterest/lrap/.

Please Pick up Your Phone to Support Chicago-Kent

Our fall Phonathon kicked-off on September 2 and since that date, 278 alumni have pledged to make a gift to Chicago-Kent.  Calling will continue through the coming months – so, if you have not heard from us yet, please take our call!  You may also make your gift online by visiting www.kentlaw.edu/give.

Your New Alumni Association Home on Facebook and LinkedIn

The Chicago-Kent Alumni Association now has a home on Facebook: Click here to access our new page to view upcoming events, law school news, and more! Become a Fan to add your own photos and videos and post to the discussion board and wall.

Users of the Professional networking site, LinkedIn, are also welcome to join the Chicago-Kent Linked-In group. Please click here to request membership.

Got News? Have you joined a community organization, gotten married, or moved to 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. 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

Washington D.C. Alumni and Student Public Service Reception
Friday, October 10, 2008
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Fado Irish Pub, 808 7th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20001

Each year Chicago-Kent students interested in government and public interest law careers travel to DC for the annual Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet these students and fellow alumni working in the public sector and join us for a great evening at Fado.

RSVP to kentcso@kentlaw.edu by Tuesday, October 7, 2008.

New York City-Area Alumni Gathering
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
New York Yacht Club, 37 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036

Join Dean Harold J. Krent for a New York City Alumni Gathering, hosted by Ed Tillinghast ’83 at the New York Yacht Club. The evening will include a discussion on how we can expand Chicago-Kent’s presence in New York and around the US. We look forward to hearing your thoughts, concerns and ideas for the law school.

Reunions

Class of 2003 Social
Thursday, October 2, 2008
5:30 p.m.
English, 444 N. LaSalle, 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60654

Jason Sposeep '03, Robyn Haynes '03, Jeff Angres '03 and Sarah Barrish '03 are hosting a Class of 2003 Social. Join your former classmates for drinks and appetizers at English Bar & Restaurant.  The group will be gathering on the Second Floor.

RSVP to Jason Sposeep '03 at jsposeep@gmail.com.

Lectures & Conferences

A Conference on Comparative Medieval Law
Thursday, October 2, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
American Bar Foundation, 750 N. Lake Shore Drive, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611

Chicago-Kent's Institute for Law and the Humanities, The American Bar Foundation, and the Illinois Legal History Program are cosponsoring this Medieval Law conference on Comparative Medieval Law featuring such topics as Marriage in the Middle Ages, Representations of French and English Law in medieval French literature, and a Panel Discussion on the relationships between bodies of Medieval law.

RSVP to Gareth Gollrad at ggollrad@kentlaw.edu. A detailed conference schedule is available at www.americanbarfoundation.org/events/43.

Harold H. Bruff

2008 Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize Lecture
Friday, October 10, 2008
1:00 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661

Professor Harold H. Bruff, 2008 Palmer Prize winnder, will discuss his book. For more information, see article above.

RSVP to Tasha Kincade at tkincade@kentlaw.edu or (312) 906-5006.

Order of the Coif Distinguished Lecturer: Professor David Wilkins
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Lecture: 3:00 p.m. ~ Reception: 4:00 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W Adams St., Marovitz Courtroom, Chicago, IL 60661

Professor David Wilkins, Harvard University School of Law, will speak on the topic of From Agents to Partners: Toward a New Model of the Corporate Attorney-Client Relationship.  

RSVP to Insa Blanke at iblanke@kentlaw.edu or (312) 906-5003 by Wednesday, October 8, 2008.

Attention Patent Lawyers: 5th Annual Federal Circuit Roundtable Discussion
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W Adams St., Room C50, Chicago, IL 60661

The annual Federal Circuit Roundtable brings former federal circuit clerks together to discuss seminal issues of patent law. Professor Tim Holbrook will moderate the discussion.

This event is free and open to the public. Direct questions to poneal@kentlaw.edu.

"Wet with Blood": Mary Todd Lincoln and the Lincoln Assassination
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Lecture: 3:00 p.m. ~ Reception: 4:00 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W Adams St., 10th Floor, Chicago, IL 60661

Professor Lori Andrews and Russell Lewis, Vice President and Chief Historian of the Chicago History Museum, will speak on Wet with Blood. The program focuses on an artifact found in the Chicago History Museum's collection, a cloak allegedly worn by Mary Todd Lincoln on the evening her husband, Abraham, was assassinated in April 1865.

For more information, visit http://chicagohistory.org/wetwithblood/. Presented by the Chicago-Kent Institute for Law and the Humanities, this event is free and open to the public.

CLE Opportunities

Northwestern Law's Advocacy and Ethics Film Series
Friday, October 3, Wednesday, October 22, and Thursday, November 13, 2008
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Northwestern University School of Law, 357 East Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611

Films often portray the best and worst of the legal profession, providing an ideal method for analyzing and evaluating both positive and negative aspects of the practice of law.  Join us for a lively moderated discussion of crucial issues in advocacy and legal ethics, as raised in three award winning films: To Kill a Mockingbird, 12 Angry Men, and Judgment at Nuremberg. This series is presented by Northwestern University School of Law’s Bartlit Center for Trial Strategy.

Attendees are eligible for 1.5 Hours of IL MCLE Professional credit for each session. For more information and to register, please click here. With confirmed registration, you will be provided with a copy of the DVD to view prior to the discussion.

Illinois Public Sector Labor Relations Law Conference
Friday, November 14, 2008
8:45 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL 60661

Join us for a day of informative discussion with some of the foremost public sector labor relations practitioners. James Warren of the Chicago Tribune will give the keynote address: The 2008 Elections: What the Results Mean for Labor Relations. Co-Sponsored by the Illinois Labor Relations Board and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

Attendees are eligible for 5.75 Hours of IL MCLE credit, including 1.25 Hours of Ethics Credit. For more information and to register, visit www.kentlaw.edu/depts/cle.

Brad Smith '04, Megan Marzec '04, Chris Henning '04, and Jon Leach '04 enjoyed a pre-game reception at the Cubby Bear at our annual Alumni Night @ Wrigley Field.

Past Event Highlights

Alumni Night @ Wrigley Field

Over 225 Alumni and friends joined us for our annual baseball outing on September 3, 2008. Guests dined at a pre-game reception at the Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville. Later, Chicago-Kent Alumni watched the Cubs take on the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field.

More photos from the event are available on the Alumni Online Community at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/cubs.

Lewis Collens Atrium Dedication

On Monday, September 22, Dean Harold J. Krent unveiled the newly named Lewis Collens Atrium honoring Dean Emeritus of Chicago-Kent and President Emeritus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, Lew Collens.

Hon. Peter Birnbaum ’83, Richard Mittleman ‘83, Katherine Smith Dedrick '83, and Kim Ringbloom Morris ‘83 celebrated their 25-Year reunion.

Class of 1983 Reunion

The Class of 1983 celebrated their 25-Year Reunion on September 16, 2008, hosted by the Hon. Peter Birnbaum ‘83. Guests enjoyed a cookout on a Wrigleyville rooftop with spectacular right field views of the Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers game.

More photos from the event are available on the Alumni Online Community at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/1983.

Governor Blagojevich Holds Ethics Press Conference at Chicago-Kent

Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich held a press conference focusing primarily on ethics legislation on Friday, September 19, 2008 at Chicago-Kent. The press conference can be listened to in its entirety at Chicago Public Radio's City Room.