Honoring leadership and service

School of Law awards celebrate Kathryn L. Conway, Sara Ellis, James J. Faught, Jean Gaspardo, Thomas V. Lyons II, and Jeanne M. Reynolds

This year, Loyola Law is proud to recognize six outstanding alumni for their meaningful contributions to the School of Law and the legal profession. Here are the 2026 School of Law alumni award recipients, who will be honored at the 2026 School of Law Reunion Weekend on Saturday, September 19. (Visit LUC.edu/law/reunion to learn more about the two-day event.) 

Kathryn L. Conway (JD ’11)

ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE AWARD

The St. Robert Bellarmine Award recognizes a graduate who earned a JD within the past 15 years for distinguished service to the community, to the legal profession, and to the School of Law.

Last year, Kathryn L. Conway (JD ’11), a partner at Power Rogers, argued that her client, a 13-year-old girl, was rendered paraplegic due to delays in medical care. When the three-week trial concluded in favor of a $21 million settlement, a juror approached Conway to express her gratitude. Ever humble, Conway thanked her and said, “It’s my job.” To which the juror responded: “No. I can tell it’s a lot more than that.” 

A civil litigator focused on medical malpractice, Conway represents clients who have suffered devastating outcomes due to their experiences in the medical system. “People come to us because they want answers and accountability,” she says. “If we can deliver that, along with life-changing compensation, it feels like we’ve improved a terrible situation.” 

Conway joined Power Rogers in 2011. “I got my dream job right out of the gate,” she says. It’s intense—her cases include birth trauma, wrongful deaths, and transportation negligence—but Conway is never deterred. Whether she’s listening to clients’ stories, researching complex medical procedures, or deposing a renowned physician, Conway thrives on the challenge.

Despite the long hours, Conway prioritizes volunteer work. She serves on numerous societies and associations and was the youngest president to lead the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. Conway’s generosity extends to Loyola as well; she’s a former president of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law Alumni Board of Governors and mentors students through the trial advocacy program. 

Conway draws inspiration from a trio of Loyola alumni: her father, Kevin Conway (JD ’76), her boss and now law partner, Joseph Power Jr. (JD ’77), and her legal writing professor and mentor, Desirée Moore (JD ’05), a prior recipient of the St. Bellarmine Award. “It was powerful to see an ambitious female embodying who I wanted to be—a standout attorney who cares so much,” Conway says. “I hope I can be that for current students.” 

The Honorable Sara Ellis (JD ’94)

MEDAL OF EXCELLENCE

The Medal of Excellence honors a member of the School of Law community who exhibits the qualities of character, intellect, and social and professional responsibility that the School of Law fosters.

How does one become a federal judge? In the case of the Honorable Sara Ellis (JD ’94), the journey includes a deep resume of legal experience, an unwavering commitment to justice, and a lifelong desire to make the world a better place.

As a public defender, Ellis realized that she could “argue effectively on behalf of my client and be their best advocate, but the judge was the one who was really ensuring that justice was done.” This knowledge stuck with her as she ventured into other types of law—white-collar criminal defense, counsel for the City of Chicago—and eventually spurred her judicial application.

Former President Barack Obama nominated Ellis to serve as a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 2013. Ellis adjudicates a wide variety of complex cases, ranging from class action lawsuits to civil rights cases, slip-and-falls, admiralty cases, bank robberies, criminal fraud cases, international custody disputes, and more.

Last year, during Operation Midway Blitz, Ellis made headlines after issuing a temporary restraining order—followed by a preliminary injunction—against federal agents, limiting their use of riot control weapons on protestors, journalists, and observers who posed no immediate threat to law enforcement. Although the plaintiffs later decided to dismiss the case and the Seventh Circuit vacated the injunction order, Ellis’s citation of Carl Sandburg’s famous 1914 poem “Chicago” in her ruling resonated with Chicago residents as she extolled the city as “a vibrant place, brimming with vitality and hope.”

Some of Ellis’s favorite moments in the courtroom take place during naturalization ceremonies (a native of Canada, Ellis became a U.S. citizen at age 15) and reentry court. Through the latter, Ellis helps formerly incarcerated individuals access housing support, counseling, mental health resources, and substance abuse treatment.

“The Jesuit motto of living in service to others—that’s how I was raised, and that’s what attracted me to Loyola,” Ellis says. “It motivates me every day.”

James J. Faught (JD ’76)

MEDAL OF EXCELLENCE

The Medal of Excellence honors a member of the School of Law community who exhibits the qualities of character, intellect, and social and professional responsibility that the School of Law fosters.

Community might be the word that best defines Jim Faught’s (JD ’76) decades of dedication to the law school. During Faught’s tremendous career, he built meaningful and lasting connections with fellow administrators, faculty, staff, and students. Nearly four years after he retired as associate dean for administration, it’s not unusual for Faught to be hailed by alumni on the street, and his inbox continues to fill with emails from his Loyola Law network.

Faught finds genuine joy in that most humble of roles: helping others. His leadership positions at Loyola Law were tailor-made for his affable, unflappable, and service-oriented demeanor. As an administrator, Faught was often responsible for solving problems, both big and small, but he relished the challenge. “This career was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me,” Faught says.

While it’s difficult to condense 44 years into a few highlights, Faught notes two pride points. For most of his tenure, he administered the law school’s highly successful externship program, in which students earn academic credit while gaining practical legal experience under direct supervision of a judge or attorney. Faught also created the London Comparative Advocacy Program; for years, he brought small groups of students across the pond to learn about the British legal system from barristers and judges.

Those trips abroad became their own special community within Faught’s vast web of Loyola friendships, some of which started when he was a law student himself. As his classmates celebrate their 50th reunion year, Faught recognizes their part in his story. “I returned to Loyola because of the wonderful people it attracts,” he says. “I just loved working with everyone. I’m so proud of this community, and I hope everyone knows how much value they’ve added to my life.”

Jean Gaspardo (JD ’94)

FRANCIS J. ROONEY/ST. THOMAS MORE AWARD

The Francis J. Rooney/St. Thomas More Award recognizes continuous, outstanding loyalty and dedicated service to the School of Law.

Jean Gaspardo (JD ’94), known affectionately as “Dean Jean” during her 29-year tenure at the School of Law, grew up in an Illinois farming family. Despite being told by a guidance counselor that “girls aren’t lawyers,” Gaspardo enrolled in Loyola’s part-time degree program, thinking a legal background could be helpful for her family’s farming-related enterprises. As it turned out, Gaspardo didn’t end up practicing law—but she found a fulfilling career in administration, accepting a position in student services while still a student herself.

Six years later, Gaspardo became dean of students and law programs, a role she held until her retirement in 2019. “It was incredibly rewarding to be trusted by the students,” Gaspardo says. “It was tremendous compliment and a blessing to me.”

Coming from a family of seven children, Gaspardo felt well-equipped to guide and support different personalities and needs. She oversaw the Moot Court Program and managed its transition to a student-led endeavor, giving students valuable leadership opportunities. “I loved seeing students succeed,” Gaspardo says, noting she attended hundreds of moot court competitions. “They put their heart and soul into it.” 

With great enthusiasm, Gaspardo expanded the law school’s study abroad offerings, adding Beijing, Oxford, the Netherlands, and Strasbourg, among other locations. And she recruited Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia to teach at these programs.

Gaspardo always viewed the School of Law as her second family. She never missed a graduation, looked forward to student events, and took pleasure in making soup and pie for faculty and staff. Reviewing the list of prior recipients of this award, Gaspardo personally knows 44 of the 54 winners. “I’m honored and humbled,” she says. “I’m extremely indebted to the Alumni Board of Governors for remembering me as one who strove to make a difference at Loyola.”

The Honorable Thomas V. Lyons II (JD ’86)

DISTINGUISHED JURIST AWARD

The Distinguished Jurist Award recognizes a graduate for outstanding service on the bench. Many of the School of Law’s graduates have contributed to the promotion of justice in our society by serving with distinction on federal and state courts. This award is presented every two years.

When it comes to law degrees, the Lyons family is a Loyola family. The Honorable Thomas V. Lyons II (JD ’86) and his brother proudly followed in their father’s footsteps, and Lyons’s daughter, Sheila, graduated from the School of Law in 2025. Lyons happily reports that Sheila’s exceptional experience matched his own. “Our class had a wonderful sense of camaraderie,” Lyons says. “Dean Faught, in particular, had a way of conveying the spirit of Loyola, that it’s a place where people learn what it means to be men and women for others.”

Lyons began his career as a criminal prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office before moving to the civil side and later entering private practice as a civil trial attorney. Over the years, as Lyons interacted with many judges, he thought that role might be a good fit for him. In 2008, an unexpected judicial vacancy presented an opportunity, and Lyons was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court.

One of the things Lyons is most proud of is the relationships he built with his opponents and the support he received from them when he ran for judge. “While I may have been a tough prosecutor, I was always fair, professional, and respectful,” he says.

Lyons is the presiding judge of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. In addition to overseeing more than 50 judges, Lyons has a daily court call and still presides over trials and pretrial settlement conferences. “I love interacting with attorneys at the top of their game,” he says, noting that many are fellow Loyola alumni.

Loyola’s spirit of service is an ongoing thread in Lyons’s life. He volunteers as a mock trial judge, teaches continuing legal education courses, and previously taught trial advocacy at the School of Law. “I’ve been fortunate, so I want to help those coming up behind me,” he says. “I am very grateful for all those who advised, mentored, and helped me in my career.”

The Honorable Jeanne M. Reynolds (JD ’86)

DISTINGUISHED JURIST AWARD

The Distinguished Jurist Award recognizes a graduate for outstanding service on the bench. Many of the School of Law’s graduates have contributed to the promotion of justice in our society by serving with distinction on federal and state courts. This award is presented every two years.

Earlier this year, a chance encounter at a restaurant in Washington, DC, encapsulated everything the Honorable Jeanne M. Reynolds (JD ’86) loves about the School of Law. Hearing a Chicago accent that matched her own, a stranger started chatting with Reynolds. “It turned out that her daughter had just graduated from Loyola Law,” Reynolds says. “She’s clerking for a judge I know—I’m going to take her out for lunch!”

The granddaughter and daughter of School of Law alumni who ran a commercial litigation firm, Reynolds remembers her dad touting Loyola’s local impact. “That’s how you build your network,” he said. Reynolds’s sister, cousins, and uncles are also proud Loyola Law graduates.

Forty years on, Reynolds can easily and quickly recall more than two dozen classmates, friends, and mentors. “Loyola taught us to collaborate,” she says. “We learned how to advocate in a respectful way, think critically to solve issues, and maintain the highest standards of ethics.”

Reynolds relies on those skills daily as an associate judge on the Cook County Circuit Court. Since assuming the bench in 2007, Reynolds has focused primarily on divorce cases, helping parties navigate the complexities of splitting assets and negotiating custody during an emotional time.

“I don’t have juries, so I am the fact finder and sole decision-maker,” she says. “I want everyone to walk away feeling like they got a fair trial, even if they don’t like the resolution.” 

Outside the courtroom, Reynolds helps to elevate the profession. “Our job as judges is to go out and serve the public,” she says. Reynolds volunteers with Misericordia, judges mock trial competitions, teaches at conferences, serves on several associations, and is a frequent guest speaker.

“Loyola alumni have the ability to make the world a better place,” she says. “If you can help someone, you should!”  –Kelsey Schagemann (July 2026)