Marovitz Public Interest Awards: 2009 Award Recipients
The Honorable
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Law Awards recognize
recently graduated Chicago-Kent alumni who have demonstrated outstanding
public interest leadership and who most reflect “the character,
life and work of the Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz.”
These endowed
awards in memory of Judge Marovitz include monetary stipends to
assist the recipients with their educational debt as they work
to benefit the public good. The awards were given out at the Public Interest Awards and Networking Reception on April 21, 2009.
Laura Kay Jelinek '95
 Laura Kay Jelinek began her career at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) 13 years ago. SMRLS, funded by the Legal Services Corporation, serves low-income residents who have civil legal needs who reside in the 33 counties of southern Minnesota, including Ramsey County where St. Paul is located.
Ms. Jelinek began her work as an Americorps/ VISTA attorney in the Homeless Outreach Prevention and Education Project at SMRLS. She and two formerly homeless individuals conducted regular outreach at local shelters, drop-in centers, domestic abuse shelters, transitional housing programs and food program sites. She represented hundreds of homeless families and disabled individuals with a variety of legal issues. In 1999, she became a staff attorney in the Housing Equality Law Project focusing on fair housing litigation. She has litigated both federal and state discrimination claims on behalf of low-income families concerning reasonable accommodations, sexual harassment in housing and racial harassment.
During her time at SMRLS, Ms. Jelinek has risen to the position of Leadership Attorney in housing where she coordinates firm-wide housing work and currently serves on the firm's senior leadership committee. Ms. Jelinek is also responsible for supervision of the nine attorneys in the central office, as well as three paralegals.
A native of LaGrange Park, Illinois, Ms. Jelinek received her undergraduate degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. While at Chicago-Kent, she was active in the National Lawyers Guild and was a law clerk at the People’s Law Office. She is married to Jonathan Tallman and has two children, Maeve (8) and Cyrus (6). She and her family live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Cynthia Goldberg Leos '02
Cindy Goldberg Leos is a Children’s Court Attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she represents the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, Child Protective Services Division, in cases involving child abuse and neglect in the Albuquerque area. In this capacity, she advocates for prompt and effective resolution of abuse and neglect proceedings to allow children in the custody of the State to achieve “permanency” with their parents, an adoptive home or other appropriate arrangement. She is currently pursuing certification as a Child Welfare Specialist through the National Association of Counsel for Children.
Prior to law school, Ms. Leos attended the University of Colorado at Boulder and obtained a degree in Sociology, which she put to use as a social worker in various contexts before deciding on a career in law. Ms. Leos has always been interested in child welfare and animal rights and it was this interest that drove her decision to attend law school at Chicago-Kent. While in Chicago, Ms. Leos provided pro bono legal services to various animal rights organizations and animal shelters and worked for the Environmental Division of the Illinois Attorney General. Ms. Leos practiced law in Chicago for three years following graduation before moving to New Mexico.
A triathlete who teaches group exercise indoor cycling, Ms. Leos is married with two children.
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M. Katherine Roller '97
 Kathy Roller is an Assistant Public Defender with the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender where she is a trial attorney in the Juvenile Justice Division. She has been an Assistant Public Defender for ten years, focusing her practice in the area of Juvenile Justice over the last eight years.
As an Assistant Public Defender in Juvenile Court, she has represented minors accused of charges ranging from murder to misdemeanors. She manages a heavy, fast-paced and active caseload and has first chaired over 175 trials. Kathy developed an expertise in Illinois’ Transfer, Habitual Offender and Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction hearings, and she consistently fights against these unjust laws.
Kathy’s dedication is evident not only in the courtroom, but also extends to educating fellow lawyers on juvenile justice issues. She has lectured nationally on topics, such as Illinois’ Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction and Transfer statutes, trial advocacy, ethics, sentencing advocacy, and contempt proceedings, for the National Juvenile Defender’s Association, the Illinois Public Defender’s Association, ILCLE and Northwestern University’s Bluhm Legal Clinic.
Prior to her work with the Law Offices of the Cook County Public Defender, Kathy was an Assistant Appellate Defender with the Office of the State Appellate Defender, arguing before the appellate court on numerous occasions. Kathy is an honors graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D. ‘97) and Texas A&M University (B.A. ‘93) and is married to Chicago-Kent alumnus, John Curnyn ‘97.
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