L O Y O L A U N I V E R S I T Y C H I C A G O S C H O O L O F L A W
1 4
1 5
2 0 1 4 – 1 5 D E A N ’ S A N N U A L R E P O R T
Looking at potential torture cases
Dean David Yellen
was appointed by Cook County Criminal Division
Judge Paul P. Biebel Jr. to serve as a
special master to identify inmates
who suffered torture
during the tenure of former Chicago police
commander Jon Burge. Yellen worked with seven Loyola law students
to identify inmates who meet the criteria Judge Biebel set forth. Those
identified will receive case review with counsel.
AALS Bellow
Scholars
Emily Benfer,
left, and
Allyson Gold
of Loyola’s Health Justice Project were
named 2015 Bellow Scholars by the
Association of American Law Schools.
The award recognizes clinical law fac-
ulty members involved in anti-poverty
work or increasing access to justice.
Benfer is director of Loyola’s Health
Justice Project; Gold is the clinic’s
Rodin Visiting Clinical Professor.
PROLAW receives
$1.3 million grant
Loyola’s
LLM in Rule of Law for
Development program (PROLAW)
received a $1.3 million grant from
the US Department of State’s Bureau
of International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs to support
its recent
milestone partnership
agreement with the African Union.
The partnership will assist the African
Union and African Regional Economic
Communities in strengthening
governance and the rule of law to
ensure peace and stability in Africa.
Prestigious
fellowships
New initiatives
Partnering for
diversity mentorship
Loyola has partnered with 1871,
a digital hub for tech startups in
Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.
Loyola’s Business Law Center,
in partnership with the Quinlan
School of Business, provided
mentors to four startup businesses
selected as part of the 1871 diversity
mentorship program.
3L Megan
Topma,
right, an active member of
Loyola’s Business Law Clinic, attended
the 1871 celebration this spring.
Advocating for vulnerable youth
Loyola’s ChildLaw Policy Institute
spearheaded a campaign to challenge
proposed State of Illinois budget cuts that would eliminate services for
young people in foster care. Student clinicians assisted faculty in
research,
drafting advocacy materials, and preparing affected youth to testify
be-
fore state legislative committees.
Professor AnitaWeinberg (JD ’86),
above,
also
testified before US House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
Live, interactive biz law education
Students interested in business law have limited opportunities to compete in
moot court activities, so
Loyola’s Business Law Clinic
this year offered students
the opportunity to participate in
two transactional law-focused live interactive
education competitions.
LawMeets® competitions provide hands-on experience
as students draft and negotiate a shared problem based on information that is
provided by a real client.
TAKING ACTION
(Continued from page 13)
Loyola law students were recognized
for their
volunteer and clinical work
or outside public interest externships
at the annual Public Interest Recogni-
tion Luncheon held this spring.
312
Equal JusticeWorks
Recent graduates
Erin Sutton
(JD ’15), AmandaWalsh
(MSW ’14, JD ’15), and Alexandra
Hunstein Roffman (JD ’15)
have been awarded Equal Justice
Works Fellowships.
•
Sutton
will establish a medical-
legal partnership between
Rush University’s Road Home
Program and the Legal Assistance
Foundation of Chicago to improve
mental health outcomes for
veterans and their families.
•
Walsh
will establish the
Family Preservation Project to
expand the reach of the Chicago
Medical-Legal Partnership for
Children with a goal of improving
the overall outcomes and family
stability of children living with
mental illness.
•
Roffman
will work with teen
moms through Cabrini Green
Legal Aid.
Schweitzer
Heidi Cerneka, 2L,
has been
awarded the Albert Schweitzer
Fellowship.
•
Cerneka
will work at Uptown
People’s Law Center to develop
relationships with and resources
for women with mental illnesses
who have been involved in the
criminal justice system.
students from around the Midwest
participated in the
2015 Norman
Amaker Midwest Public Interest
Law and Social Justice Retreat
at
Loyola’s Ecology and Retreat Center in
Woodstock, Illinois.
70
+
Public Interest Law
Candace Moore (JD ’13)
has been
awarded the Kimball R. Anderson
and Karen Gatsis Anderson
Public Interest Law Fellowship.
•
Moore
was presented with the
fellowship at the Chicago Bar Asso-
ciation and Chicago Bar Foundation
Pro Bono & Public Service Awards
Luncheon in July. She is a staff attor-
ney at Chicago Lawyers’Committee
for Civil Rights Under Law.
