College of Law alumni speak with law students about the practice of family law in the public and private sectors. Panelists included (left to right): Andrea Belard, Legal Aid Society, Kathryn Liss, Law Offices of Jean Conde P.C., Lisa Nelson, Public Guardian's Office, and Andrew Engle, Davis Friedman. The Schiller
DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center hosted a panel event on Thursday, October 29 during the lunch hour, featuring practitioners in family law. The event was
co-sponsored by Law Career Services, the Center for Public Interest Law, and
the Child & Family Law Association, and drew a large audience of interested law students. Practitioners on the panel were a mixture of private and public interest family law
attorneys, all of whom are alumni of DePaul's College of Law. They
included Andrew Engle, Partner,
Davis Friedman LLP, Kathryn Liss, Associate Attorney, Law Offices of JeanConde PC, Lisa Nelson, Supervising Attorney, DomesticRelations Division, Office of the Cook County Public Guardian and Andrea
Belard, Staff Attorney, Domestic Violence Division, Legal Aid Society.
Cheryl
Price, Director of the Family Law Center, moderated the discussion and asked the
panelists a range of questions about their work, including how they got started
in family law, and what they find the most rewarding and challenging about
their work. All of the panelists agreed
that this area of law can be emotionally charged but enjoyed helping others
through the stressful process of a divorce. They also talked about the differences between practicing family law in
the public versus private sectors. Director Price also asked the panelists to comment on what students can
do to prepare themselves for a career in family law, in which the panelists explained that both
interpersonal and trial/litigations skills are very important to this area of
law. They also recommended taking a federal
tax course because family law attorneys regularly deal with tax-related issues as part
of their practice.
The
event ended with several minutes for students to ask questions. One student was curious about how to get
involved with family law as a pro bono attorney, while another student wanted advice about how to
strike a healthy work-life balance. At
the end of the event, many students introduced themselves to the panelists and
asked a few more questions before heading off to their next class. The panelists were happy to speak with the
students and provide advice about starting a career in child and family
law. Both the students and the panelists
enjoyed the event!