Jennifer Dillon Kotz (JD ’98)

Hometown: Barrington, Illinois.  Currently lives in Winnetka, Illinois.
Undergraduate Institution: Bucknell University (1992) in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
Current Employer: Partner at Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP.

Tell us about your time at Loyola.
My story has a little bit of a twist, because I actually started law school at Pepperdine University School of Law while I was living in California.  I really wanted to come back to the Midwest and be near my family, so I came to Chicago and toured all of the law schools in the city.  Loyola stood out to me because it felt like such a close-knit community, and it made the transition so easy. The people I went to law school with were very warm and welcoming, so it made for an overall great experience.  One of my favorite classes was Trial Advocacy with Professor Carey.  His class was very dynamic, and it made me realize how much I enjoyed learning about litigation and evidence.

In what way has your practice evolved over the years?
I actually started at Schiller DuCanto & Fleck as a law clerk when I was a student at Loyola, and I have been there ever since.  Our firm is focused entirely on family law, and I have had the opportunity to be involved in several high profile cases.  I’ve gained a tremendous amount of experience over the last seventeen years, and it has helped me grow in my practice.  I particularly enjoy dealing with cases in contested custody and financial litigation.

What do you envision for your career in the future?
I plan to continue to grow and develop my practice.  At the end of the day, it’s all about what I can do to better serve my clients.  I am very proud of being both a mother and a lawyer: it is important to find a balance between work and family.  My husband, Paul, and I met while we were attending Loyola together, and we have two wonderful children: Kaitlyn, 10, and Dillon, 8. Although I am always very busy, being a partner and a mother is extremely rewarding.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to young lawyers?
Find an area of law that you genuinely enjoy.  Being a lawyer is hard work, but if you are passionate about what you do, then the success will follow.