A Message from
Dean Jenn

Dear DePaul Law alumni community:

Usually this time of year is full of events, ceremonies and celebrations of our community, culminating in graduation. Instead, we are spending our time in back-to-back Zoom meetings and planning for next year (with so much we cannot yet predict).

What we can predict—and rely on—is the uniquely DePaul way we have come together to support each other in many ways, with dignity and respect. In that Vincentian spirit, we congratulated the Class of 2020 this past Saturday with a virtual toast and reception with about 200 faculty, staff and students participating. We hope to have an in-person celebration as soon as we can.

This summer, our grads will be studying for the bar, now delayed in Illinois for approximately six weeks until Sept. 9 and 10. The Illinois law deans are working with the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar (IBAB) to find suitable spaces with safe distancing to make sure we can administer the exam as long as it remains safe to do so. Through the summer, we will support the grads through the Demon Bar program—a signature supplemental bar program created and led by our bar director, Professor Jamie Kleppetsch—and bar awards (of $1,000 each) to 59 of our grads.

After the bar exam, our graduates will need all of our help to face the weakened legal market that is ahead of us. Fortunately, DePaul Law grads come into this likely recession with stronger career placement statistics than we have had in years. Our Class of 2019 had a 79.8% placement rate for full-time long-term bar passage-required or JD-advantage jobs (up 6.8% from last year), and an overall employment rate of 90.1% (up 8.7% from last year). To keep these numbers strong—which we all have worked so hard for—we will need to lend a hand to the grads as they navigate the job market later this fall. I know they will be able to count on all of you, as I have these past five years. And if you need help, please let us know, as you are always part of our DePaul family.

Have a wonderful start to the summer,

Dean Jenn

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College of Law Update with Dean Jennifer Rosato Perea

The College of Law invites you to attend a Zoom call with Dean Jennifer Rosato. Dean Jenn will share how the College of Law has responded to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and will take your questions.

Four sessions with various times have been set up to allow DePaul Law alumni from across the country to participate. We ask that you only RSVP for one session:

Wednesday, May 27 | 2-3 p.m. (CST)
Thursday, May 28 | 11 a.m.-Noon (CST)
Monday, June 1 | Noon-1 p.m. (CST)
Thursday, June 4 | Noon-1 p.m. (CST)

To RSVP, please send us an email stating which session you would like to participate in.

Congratulate a Class of 2020 Graduate

As the Class of 2020 prepares to graduate and join the alumni family under unprecedented circumstances, we're asking you to send them notes of support and encouragement. Your inspiration and wisdom will be of great help.

Please submit a note through our simple form, and we'll share it with the graduating class!

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Jaharis Health Law Institute COVID-19 Video Series

The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the lives of nearly all people and businesses, with the health care industry at the epicenter of the crisis. As the health care community faces unprecedented challenges in delivering care, the College of Law, in partnership with the American Health Law Association and dBase Media, have produced a series of public service announcement videos to heighten awareness of the ever-shifting legal landscape in light of the COVID-19.

Watch the videos here. 

Rinn Law Library: DePaul Law History Timeline

The Rinn Law Library is proud to share the following historical timeline of the College of Law. The timeline covers significant events and milestones in the history of DePaul Law and was developed by staff and administration in the Rinn Law Library.

As with all historical research, the timeline is a work in progress, and your comments and ideas on historic events are welcome. Please send your feedback to RinnLawLibrary@depaul.edu.

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2020 DePaul Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative Alumni Award Recipient

Congratulations to Kristi Nelson ('95), the 2020 DePaul Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative Alumni Award Recipient!

Nelson is a commercial litigation partner at Gair Eberhard Nelson Dedinas Ltd. She has dedicated a significant portion of her legal practice to pro bono work over the course of her 20+ years of practicing law. Her extensive pro bono accomplishments include: representing numerous women, children and families in immigration proceedings through the National Immigrant Justice Center; serving as a volunteer attorney in the Little Village neighborhood for the Chicago Bar Association's Lawyers in the Classroom program; teaching a one-week seminar on U.S. Constitutional Law to students in grades 9-12 at a boarding school in Somaliland; traveling to Dilley, Texas, to provide pro bono representation to detained mothers and children in preparation for their credible fear interviews and immigration court proceedings; serving as a court-appointed guardian ad litem for minors in guardianship proceedings; representing prisoners in prisoner rights cases; and representing tenants in eviction proceedings. In addition, she has also been a long-time board member of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, currently serving on the organization's Advisory Board.

Nelson's outstanding commitment to service truly embodies DePaul's Vincentian values and is an inspiration to the College of Law community.

Volunteer Coach for Transactional Student Competition

The law school is seeking alumni volunteers to coach a team of students for a student competition this summer. While typically held in person, LawMeets® 2020 M&A Boot Camp—a program that teaches law students deal skills—will be held online this summer. Students will work in teams to draft, mark-up and negotiate acquisition agreements. In the simulation, students interact with clients, senior lawyers and opposing teams via video conference, email and telephone while being exposed to Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) concepts and forms of agreement.

The boot camp will be held this summer and has two phases: exercises and finals. During the exercises, all teams will participate in four modules, each lasting two weeks, focused on different parts of an acquisition agreement. The first of the four exercises will open on May 30. The finals will be held from July 25–Aug. 7. We anticipate that a coach will spend approximately 3-5 hours per week during the exercises.

A coach must be a practitioner or law faculty member with M&A experience. In addition to agreeing to serve as a resource to a team, each coach is asked to serve as an expert during two or more of the exercises.

If you are interested in being a LawMeets coach for the summer or for another term, please email your availability, a brief description of your background and your resume to Julie Lawton, associate dean for Experiential Learning, at lawexperiential@depaul.edu.

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Law Career
Service Update

Hire a current student or graduate:
Looking to fill a position for which a JD would be helpful? Let us help you! Whether your position is full-time, part-time or piecemeal, now is the perfect time to start the recruitment process. Let us help you find a fantastic new legal professional for your office. If you have questions, please email Adam Gratch, assistant director of Law Career Services, at agratch@depaul.edu.

Alumni Advising Available:
Career advising continues to be available to DePaul Law's alumni community. Any law graduate in need of resume or cover letter advice, virtual networking help or general job search strategizing is encouraged to email law_career@depaul.edu to schedule a time to speak with one of our career advisors.

Save-the-Date: 2020 Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Symposium

The College of Law's Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center is hosting a full day symposium on the area of elder law. Through various panel discussions with experts in the field, panelists and attendees will explore the intersection of family law and elder law, emergency guardianships, advance directives, public benefits, caregivers, choices in end of life matters, protecting your loved ones from financial exploitation and LGBTQ seniors. There will also be an elder law case law update that you don't want to miss.

Monday, Oct. 12
9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Six Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits will be available, pending approval.

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Upcoming Virtual Alumni Programming