Joanna Kluzowska:
What was your summer position?
I was a summer extern for the legal department at Advocate Aurora Health.
What made you interested in that particular area of legal practice?
I have been interested in health law because it’s an area that is far-reaching, fast pace, and always evolving. Health law is a broad and interdisciplinary field that I feel will always present challenging problems. Not only is health law such a compelling field for problem-solvers, its impact on people’s lives is vast. Health care systems touch everyone’s lives at some point, and health care attorneys represent the entire spectrum of the health industry, which includes physicians, hospitals, health maintenance organizations, health insurers, nursing facilities, home care providers, consumers, and patients. In addition, because the industry is heavily regulated and regulations routinely undergo changes, attorneys are critical for advising their clients on how to comply with the regulations. Overall, I think health law is an area of legal practice that serves an increasingly important role for the future of health systems.
What was a big take-away from your summer experience?
I began my externship thinking that I was going to be exploring mostly compliance issues—I was quick to learn that compliance and policy are only a small component of the issues that Advocate Aurora’s general counsel handles. Advocate Aurora's in-house attorneys’ practice encompasses compliance, litigation, and transactional elements. The attorneys handle matters involving physician employment contracts, vender contracts, real estate acquisitions, compliance with federal guidelines for tax-exempt hospitals, and many other diverse issues.
As an extern at Advocate, I was constantly learning as I researched on the various statutes and regulations that pose legal ramifications for noncompliance and attended various hospital ethics and governance board meetings. I also observed first-hand some potential effects of hospital merger and acquisition activity. Illinois-based Advocate Health had recently merged with Wisconsin’s Aurora Health Care when I began my externship. In particular, I saw how this merger created new challenges in terms of standardizing policies. Due to differing governing state laws over the states’ respective health systems, Advocate attorneys have to strategize ways in which, if any, policies can be standardized without violating either Illinois or Wisconsin law. From being exposed to these large-scale issues as well as to the more nuanced business issues, I realized the diversity of issues in-house counsel are expected to handle.
After this externship, I have a completely new understanding of what a health lawyer is. The issues health lawyers handle intersect with almost every other area of the law i.e. employment law, tax law, contract law, property law, information technology law, intellectual property law, etc.; and the nature of the issues these lawyers handle is extremely broad. With that, I realize that there is always going to be something to learn and resolve in the dynamic field of health law.
What are you looking forward to for this school year?
I am looking forward to finishing my 3L year in the part-time, evening program at DePaul. I am going to be taking more health law courses in pursuit of my health law certificate. Additionally, I am going to be attending IAHA events including the Annual Health Law Symposium. I also look forward to studying abroad in either the winter or spring break term. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to any other health law career opportunities that present themselves.
Chimene Granados:
What was your summer position?
I am a law clerk with Schiller DuCanto & Fleck, LLP.
What made you interested in that particular area of legal practice?
I have always been interested in family law because it is the one area of law that allows one to help people through some of the most difficult times in their lives, whether it be divorce or a domestic violence case.
What was a big take-away from your summer experience?
Family law is not a one size fits all area. Each client that walks through the door is unique and needs a different strategy than the client before. There will never be a case that is exactly the same and you must be creative in how you approach each and every client's needs.
What are you looking forward to for this school year?
I am looking forward to complete my studies and graduate this upcoming May!
Michael Hoyt:
What was your summer position?
This summer I was a legal intern with the Immigrant Children’s Protection Project at the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
What made you interested in that particular area of legal practice?
Previous immigration activism and transitional justice work in Guatemala led me to pursue immigration law at DePaul. The vulnerability and resilience of immigrant children in addition to the opportunities for direct legal services made me interested in NIJC’s kids project.
What was a big take-away from your summer experience?
The family separation crisis, manufactured by the Administration’s policy choices, thrust the work of the kids project into the national spotlight this summer. However, regardless of whether their work is in the headlines, the attorneys with NIJC’s kids project fight relentlessly for due process and human rights for an acutely vulnerable population. The success of their work is a testament to the power of fierce advocacy grounded in compassion, solidarity, and a commitment to human rights. It was a privilege to witness and support this work over the summer.
What are you looking forward to for this school year?
During my 2L year, particularly throughout the asylum clinic, I look forward to building on the skills and confidence I gained this summer as I worked with children in local shelters and entered appearances at juvenile immigration court.