Faculty Profiles
The faculty of the Institute for Paralegal Studies are either experienced attorneys who have worked with paralegals or are themselves paralegals. These faculty members are committed to the encouragement and support of the paralegal's role in the legal community.
Jean Hellman Ryan, B.A., Honors, cum laude, 1974, Loyola University Chicago; J.D., 1979, DePaul University, Chicago; LL.M. (Health Law), 1995, Loyola University Chicago. After three years of general practice in Chicago, Ms. Ryan became a full-time paralegal educator and program director in 1983. Ms. Ryan has been the Director of the Institute for Paralegal Studies since 1991. She supervises the paralegal internship program.
Kelly A. Barry, B.A., 1986, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb; Certificate in Paralegal Studies, Honors, 1993, Loyola University Chicago. Ms. Barry has worked as a paralegal in Chicago for fifteen years, most recently at Adducci Dorf Lehner Mitchell & Blankenship. Ms. Barry teaches Civil Litigation, Law Office Computer Applications, Computer Applications for Litigation, and Legal Research and Writing.
Eamonn Coyle, B.S., 1988, Indiana University, Bloomington; Certificate in Paralegal Studies, 2005, with honors, Loyola University Chicago. Mr. Coyle worked as a software trainer and project manager at Integrated eSolutions, a computerized litigation support company in Chicago. He currently works at Clausen Miller. Mr. Coyle teaches Law Office Computer Applications.
Carla Davis, B.A., 1979, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana; J.D., 1982, Indiana University, Bloomington. Ms. Davis is a Chief Attorney for the Law Department, Corporate Division of the Chicago Transit Authority. Previously she was Assistant Legal Counsel for the Illinois Gaming Board. She has also worked for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and the Illinois Attorney General's Office. Ms. Davis teaches Basic Business Organizations and Contracts and Commercial Transactions.
Maurice Finnegan, B.S.M.E., 2000, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; J.D., cum laude, 2003, University of Illinois, Champaign. Mr. Finnegan is currently associated with Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP in Chicago. He teaches Intellectual Property: Trademarks & Copyrights.
Sandra Gentile, B.A., 1994, Northern Illinois University; Certificate in Paralegal Studies, with Honors, 1994, Roosevelt University. Ms. Gentile is a Senior Legal Assistant in the Litigation Specialty at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, where she has worked since 2000. Ms. Gentile also holds the distinction of being the first paralegal in Illinois to have earned the designation of Registered Paralegal (RP), awarded by the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) on passing the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam (PACE). Ms. Gentile teaches training classes for legal assistants, new associates, and secretaries at Kirkland & Ellis, and has also taught continuing education courses for the Institute for Paralegal Education. She teaches Civil Litigation for the Institute for Paralegal Studies.
Jennifer L. Goldstone, B.A., 1994, University of Kansas, Lawrence; J.D., 1999, John Marshall Law School, Chicago. Ms. Goldstone has worked as a real estate and corporate attorney with Hochman Dolgin Delott & Prohov, Chicago, and Meltzer Purtill & Stelle, Schaumburg, Illinois, and currently is in private practice. She worked as a real estate paralegal at Katten Muchin & Zavis before attending law school. She teaches Real Estate Transactions.
Katherine A. Greenwood, B.A., 1980, J.D., 1983, Tulane University, New Orleans. Ms. Greenwood has worked as a corporate attorney with law firms in New York, San Francisco, London, and Evanston, Illinois, and was a senior attorney at PLM International, Inc., in San Francisco. She previously taught the Corporations course at the institute for several years and now teaches Introduction to Paralegal Studies and Legal Ethics.
Anjana Hansen, B.A., 1994, St. Norbert College, DePere, Wisconsin.; J.D., 1997, John Marshall Law School, Chicago. Ms. Hansen has worked for the Cook County's State's Attorney's Office since 1998. She teaches Criminal Law and Litigation.
Marie G. Harrigan, B.A., 1988, J.D., 1992, Fordham University, New York. Ms. Harrigan has worked in public interest law throughout her legal career. She is currently a staff attorney for CARPLS, Cook County's legal assistance hotline, and previously worked for the Chicago Legal Clinic and the Austin Christian Law Center. Ms. Harrigan teaches Legal Research and Legal Writing.
Mary Joly, B.A., 1994, Cansius College, New York; J.D., 2001, DePaul University, Chicago. Ms. Joly is an Assistant State's Attorney for Cook County, currently in the Juvenile Justice Bureau of the Division of Child Protection, and previously in the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau of the Division of Criminal Appeals. She has also been an associate attorney with Cremer Kopon Shaughnessy & Spina, an insurance defense firm in Chicago. Ms. Joly teaches Legal Research and Legal Writing.
Enid Kempe, B.A., 1975, DePaul University; J.D., 1978, DePaul University College of Law. Ms. Kempe has practiced in the Chicago area for 30 years and maintains a private practice that focuses on probate, estate planning, and guardianships.
Nicholas Kourvetaris, B.S., 1994, M.S., 1996, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; J.D., 2000, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago. Mr. Kourvetaris is an associate attorney at O'Hagan, Smith & Amundsen in Chicago. He teaches the Legal Research and Writing courses.
Christopher Lambert, B.A., 2001, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois; Certificate in Paralegal Studies, with Honors, 2005. Mr. Lambert has been a corporate paralegal at Horwood Marcus & Berk in Chicago since shortly after his graduation from the Institute. Previously he worked for over thirteen years in the equipment leasing industry specializing in information technology hardware and software financing. He has extensive experience in several computer programs used in legal practice and currently teaches Law Office Computer Applications.
James G. Lundy, B.A., 1992, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana; J.D., M.B.A., 1996, DePaul University, Chicago. Mr. Lundy is a Senior Attorney in the Division of Enforcement at the Chicago office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was associated previously with Clausen Miller and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Mr. Lundy also worked previously with Altschuler Melvoin & Glasser as a litigation consultant and the Swiss Bank Corporation as an arbitrage clerk. He teaches the Securities Regulation course.
Debbie A. Metzger, B.S., 1987, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois; Paralegal Certificate, Roosevelt University, 1987. Ms. Metzger first worked as a paralegal in the Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office in Murphysboro, Illinois, assisting with civil, criminal, and environmental cases. Since 1989, she has worked at Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney, a business litigation firm in Chicago, with a brief hiatus at Templeton & Associates, a legal staffing firm. Ms. Metzger has been a paralegal manager at the firm since 2004 and frequently conducts continuing education workshops for the paralegals she supervises.
Timothy Morella, B.S.E.E., 1994, University of Notre Dame; J.D., 1997, University of Toledo College of Law, Toledo, Ohio; L.L.M.(Intellectual Property), John Marshall Law School, Chicago. Mr. Morella is currently an Associate Intellectual Property Attorney at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP in Chicago. He teaches Intellectual Property: Patents & Trade Secrets.
Carole A. Morey, B.A., 1983, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; J.D., magna cum laude, 1986, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ms. Morey was associated for several years with Sidley & Austin and then Fagel & Haber, where she became a partner in 1999. She currently works in the Corporate Law Department for the Chicago Transit Authority. Ms. Morey teaches Basic Business Organizations and Contracts, Advanced Business Organizations, and Commercial Transactions.
T. Leverett Nelson, B.A., cum laude, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota; J.D., 1985, University of Colorado, Boulder. Mr. Nelson has worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 18 years and is currently the Section Chief, Multi-Media Branch I, for the EPA's Office of Regional Counsel, Region V (Chicago). He teaches Environmental Law.
Jennifer Pritz, A.S., with honors, 1980, Harper College, Palatine, Illinois; B.S., with honors, 1982, J.D., 1987, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL. Ms. Pritz has worked as a litigation attorney at Baker & McKenzie and most recently Ancel, Glink Diamond, Bush, DiCianni & Rolek, both in Chicago. She teaches the Legal Research and Writing courses.
Melissa Samuels, B.A., 1997, Sarah Lawrence College, NY; J.D., 2001, Northwestern University, Chicago. Ms. Samuels has specialized in immigration law as both a lawyer and a paralegal for the last ten years. She is currently a staff attorney for Coordinated Advice & Referral Program (CARPLS) in Chicago, Cook County's legal assistance hotline. Ms. Samuels previously worked for AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, the Uptown People's Law Center, Centro Rombero, and as a paralegal at Kempster, Keller & Lenz-Calvo in Chicago. Ms. Samuels teaches Immigration Law.
Joan G. Stevens, B.A., 1984, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana; J.D., 1987, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently in private practice, Ms. Stevens was associated with Hultman & Johnson in Downers Grove, Illinois, and Pedersen & Houpt in Chicago. She teaches Legal Ethics and the Civil Litigation courses.
Caryn R. Suder, B.S.N, summa cum laude, 1987, and J.D., 1994, Loyola University Chicago. Ms. Suder is currently a consultant in risk management services with the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, Chicago Hospital Risk Pooling Program. Previously she was associated with O'Reilly Cunningham Norton & Mancini, now known as Cunningham Mayer & Vedrine, a medical malpractice law firm in Chicago and Wheaton, and before graduating from law school worked as a labor and delivery nurse in two Chicago area hospitals. She teaches Legal Research and Writing, Torts, and Medical Malpractice.
Ethan Zelizer, B.A., with honors, 2000, Loyola University Chicago; J.D., cum laude, 2003, Loyola University Chicago. Mr. Zelizer currently works for Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP. in Chicago where he represents defendants in class action employment and civil rights lawsuits. Mr. Zelizer also worked as an Associate Attorney at Vedder Price in Chicago. He teaches Employment Law.
