Tag: BLSA

Event Recap: Can I Ask That?

Can I Ask That? FlyerOn February 27, our students hosted an event to kick-start our annual diversity week with a panel of judges, attorneys, professors, and students.

Each speaker shared their professional journey and how they address diversity and cultural competence in the legal field. Students submitted questions in advance for the event and Joanna Martin, president of HLLSA, moderated the panel discussion.

Panelists:

Continue reading “Event Recap: Can I Ask That?”

Event Recap: Corporate Counsel Night

Corporate Counsel Night 2019 Panelists
Corporate Counsel Night 2019 Panelists

Victoria Ryan, Associate Director of Career Services, provided this recap of the panel discussion:

On January 29, a great group of students turned out on a very cold night in Chicago with sub-zero temperatures to hear a panel of six distinguished attorneys discuss their roles as in-house corporate counsel:

  • David Susler – Associate General Counsel, National Material L.P.
  • Matthew Hamielic ’17 – Associate Attorney, Innovation Law Department, Allstate
  • Angela Frye ’97 – General Counsel, Great Lakes Market, Verizon Wireless
  • Krystin Hernandez ’10 – Senior Counsel, McDonald’s Corporation
  • Gavin Daly ’10 – Counsel, Corporate Investigations, Jones, Lang & LaSalle (JLL)
  • Michael Ward ’12 – Associate Attorney, Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila

Continue reading “Event Recap: Corporate Counsel Night”

Event Recap: 4th MLK Forum – Legal Racism: How Inequities Created by the Law Can Be Eliminated by the Law

Assistant Dean Marsha Ross-Jackson
Assistant Dean Marsha Ross-Jackson introducing the 4th MLK Forum at Chicago-Kent College of Law

On  January 24, 2019, Chicago-Kent hosted the 4th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Forum sponsored by the law school’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Multiculturalism & Professional Development as well as several faculty committees, departments, and student organizations.

Erika K. Wilson, Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy & Associate Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law, was the featured speaker, presenting a talk titled “Legal Racism:  How Inequities Created by the Law Can Be Eliminated by the Law.”

After Professor Wilson’s discussion, other panelists gave their perspectives on the impact of legal racism in finance, education reform, and housing policy. An open question and answer session followed that addressed specific examples, terms, and trends from the presentation and the speaker discussion. 

You can find the full videos of the event on our YouTube channel, or view individual videos with the slides and the different speakers and questions in a playlist or our recap below: Continue reading “Event Recap: 4th MLK Forum – Legal Racism: How Inequities Created by the Law Can Be Eliminated by the Law”

Meet Cristina McNeiley, Class of 2020

Cristina McNeiley was drawn to the legal profession by her powerful personal story and desire to make a difference. As a student, she is already giving back through her leadership roles in several organizations. In this profile, she shares the resources and skills she’s using to build her career and the ways she looks forward to creating opportunities for other women with similar backgrounds. Continue reading “Meet Cristina McNeiley, Class of 2020”

Recap: Black Lives Matter Chicago at Chicago-Kent

In March, Chicago-Kent’s BLSA Vice President Alexis Halsell organized an event titled “Creating Change: The Importance of Social Justice Involvement” and invited four representatives from Black Lives Matter Chicago to share more about their movement’s goals.

History of Black Lives Matter

Kofi Ademola gave some historical context for the Black Lives Matter movement, which was founded by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors. These three black queer women started the hashtag on social media in reaction to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case.

The Black Lives Matter website helped build the movement when activists protesting the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson used it to start local chapters across the country.

Criminal Justice Reform in Chicago

In Chicago, Kofi Ademola noted there had already been 20 police shootings in 5 years with no convictions, so the issue of police violence has always been central. He said the goal of Black Lives Matter Chicago is to decentralize power and to centralize marginalized voices and communities.

Black Lives Matter Chicago has been supported by the National Lawyers Guild local chapter serving as legal observers at protests and actions. As seen with the airport ban, more lawyers are organizing to create emergency response legal teams that can take action quickly. Continue reading “Recap: Black Lives Matter Chicago at Chicago-Kent”