DePaul University College of Law alumna Caitlin M. Duane (JD ’16) has received a post graduate fellowship from the Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association, to work in DePaul’s Poverty Law Clinic.
In addition, the foundation will fund public interest jobs for new graduates with two other law schools—Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Northern Illinois University College of Law. IBF will contribute $25,000 to each of the three fellowships and the law schools will fund the remainder. The law schools selected the fellowship recipients.
“There is a growing need for public interest lawyers,” said Shawn Kasserman, IBF president. “That fact, combined with the tough job market for new law school graduates, drove the creation of our fellowship program, which will provide on-the-job training for new lawyers, while simultaneously helping fill the gap in legal aid services.”
At DePaul, Duane was a Law Merit Scholar and a member of the Dean’s List. She also held posts as vice president of the Student Bar Association and president of the Women’s Bar Association. Among community service work at DePaul, she was student coordinator of the Pro Bono and Community Service Initiative, a volunteer with the Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program, and participated in a spring break pro bono staycation at the Chicago Legal Clinic in Pilsen. She also received the CALI award for excellence at the school’s Family Law Clinic.
“My experiences in the DePaul legal clinics provided me with valuable experience as a law student,” said Duane. “I look forward to returning as a post graduate fellow and continuing to work with underserved communities on a variety of civil legal matters.”
Duane received her BA in social welfare and justice from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. in May 2009.
For more information on the legal aid fellowship program, visit the IBF website.