Jorge L. Montes (JD ‘88)

Hometown: Chicago.  He currently lives in Bucktown with his wife and five daughters.
Undergraduate Institution: Loyola University Chicago – majored in Communication.
Current Employer: Montes & Associates.

Tell us about your time at Loyola.
I chose to attend Loyola because, even though I was not Catholic, I appreciated the value of having a solid, Jesuit education. The relationships I developed with my professors were so strong that one of my Spanish professors actually took it upon herself to hand-deliver my application to Dean Nina Appel, who was at that time at the helm of the School of Law.  I’ll always be grateful because Loyola believed in me by accepting me.  Having graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola, I still found it difficult to make the transition from being an undergraduate to being a law student, but I worked hard and ended up being awarded with honors my last semester. 

I’ve always been interested in philosophy, theology and the arts, so in law school I gravitated towards classes in constitutional law and jurisprudence.  I was also one of the founders of the Hispanic law student group at Loyola.  I’m thrilled that I left a big imprint on the school since the group is still alive and well. We held activities, brought in special guests, and even hosted citywide events for Latino law students. That organization gave me incredible networking opportunities and it also acted as a springboard for me to get involved in other bar associations.

Why did you decide to get involved in the Board of Governors?
As I said, I’m very grateful for Loyola opening its doors and believing in me, so this is my way of giving back.  Devoting some of my time to the school is extremely satisfying and I enjoy reviewing programs with the board and seeing how we can enhance the experience for future law students. I’m excited to see how my leadership will grow within this role.

What do you envision for your career in the next few years?
While I do expect my firm to grow, I don’t envision it becoming a huge, global law firm; I want it to be more of a boutique firm. Owning a firm requires a lot of responsibility.  You either sink or swim on your own. But I’m very happy being my own boss and I wouldn’t consider working for someone else at this point in my career. We currently have a few anchor clients that keep the business moving and I also act as outside general counsel to a few international corporations. We work from coast to coast for some of these clients and expect to continue to grow with them.

What would be one piece of advice for young lawyers?
Everybody is concerned that the profession is overcrowded.  Although that might be true, if you are aggressive about getting the most from your career, you’ll be able to create a special niche for yourself.  There are always opportunities for those who set out to make their own road.