Two Alumni Join Board of Trustees for The John Marshall Law School
Attorneys Chester Blair and Celia Gamrath have been elected to serve on the 25-member Board of Trustees of The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. They will each serve a three-year term.
The board meets to set policies for the 109-year-old law school in Chicago's Loop. The board president is Leonard Amari (J.D. '68).
Blair is a 1959 graduate of John Marshall and a partner at Blair & Cole, a general practice litigation firm. Blair focuses on tort litigation and criminal defense.
During his long career, Blair has been serving on a variety of committees and boards, including the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee; the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission Review Board and the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility. 
As a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Code of Professional Responsibility Committee, Blair worked to develop the ethical rules for attorneys admitted to practice in Illinois. He has been on the faculty of the National College of Advocacy teaching basic trial techniques and the "Ultimate Trial Advocacy Course: Art of Persuasion."
Blair is a past president of the Chicago Bar Association and Cook County Bar Association (CCBA). He was presented the Presidential Award and the William G. Wright Award from CCBA. He was elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and is a life member of the American Bar Association.
Gamrath, a 1994 graduate of John Marshall, is a partner at Schiller DuCanto and Fleck LLP where she concentrates in matrimonial law and appeals on behalf of individuals whose cases mainly involve the distribution of multi-million dollar holdings and require sophisticated financial expertise.
She has been recognized nationally as a top family law and appellate lawyer in the 2008 issue of Best Lawyers in America; a Top 50 Female Attorney in Chicago Magazine's Illinois Super Lawyers; and by the Leading Lawyers Network of Top Family Law Lawyers.
Gamrath was named "Young Lawyer of the Year" in 2003 by the Young Lawyers Division of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and was awarded the 2003 Impresa Award by the Women's Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans.
Gamrath received the Alta May Hulett Award from the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women and in 2002 was included in Law Bulletin Publishing Co.'s "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty To Watch." 
She is on the board of directors and is secretary for the Chicago Bar Foundation, and is on the foundation's Abraham Lincoln Circle of Justice and a fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation. She serves on the ISBA Board of Governors and serves on various ISBA committees.
Gamrath is an adjunct professor at John Marshall teaching family law, civil procedure, legal writing, appellate procedure and arbitration. She is a five-time award recipient in the annual ISBA Lincoln Writing Contest.
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Mardi Gras Celebration and Auction Raise Money for Public Interest Law
Students and guests helped support the public interest work of The John Marshall Law School students by raising nearly $14,000 through the 2008 Public Interest Auction on Feb. 7. Money raised through the auction helps support students who during summer 2008 will be working at public interest non-paying internships.
John Marshall's first faculty auction was in1982. This year, Adam Snyder, who chaired the committee, expanded the auction and gave it a Mardi Gras theme. He began work on the event in September 2007 and worked with a committee that collected a variety of donations, including condo time-shares in Las Vegas and Florida, theater tickets, lunches and dinners with professors and judges, bar prep courses and more.
"The auction was our chance to support those among us who are pursuing careers in the public's interest," Snyder said. "Every dollar contributed at the auction will go directly to support these students."
Auction Committee members were Kat Abejuela, James Borkman, Eileen Collins, Michael Day, John Gholar, Scott Jacobson, Jisoo Kim, Kristen Kuroski, David Lifsics, David Lipshutz, Jack O'Connor, Michael Waugh and Christine Wigg.
Auction sponsors included Mayer Brown, Kaplan/PMBR, BAR/BRI, Argo Tea, Plymouth Restaurant & Bar, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., Sam's Wine & Spirits and John Marshall's faculty and staff.
Professor Cecil Hunt was the auctioneer for the first hour of the 2008 Marshall Public Interest Auction.
Enjoying the evening are students (from left) Brad JeanBlanc, Megan Harrington, Sel Skevin (in back), Stephanie Kemen, Ashley Vorterasian and Anna Shannon.
Director of Academic Services Jodie Needham (left) and Professor Susan Brody (right) joined forces as auctioneers for the second half of the program and help raise nearly $14,000 for public interest scholarships.
Associate Dean William Powers (left) and Professor Cecil Hunt (right) congratulate auction chairperson Adam Snyder (center) who worked for months to organize this year's auction.
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Schedule of Events
February 25
- Insights I, Room 216, 12 p.m.
- CSO: Lunch with FBI Special Agent and JMLS Alum, Frank Bochti, Room 527, 12 p.m.
February 26
- IBT Lunch and Learn on International Economic Espionage Targets Us National Security, Room 1200, 12 p.m.
- International Human Rights: Notes from the Field Lecture by Jess Heyman, Room 503, 12:30 p.m.
- WRC, Beginning Citation Workshop, Room 201, 4 p.m.
- CSO: Building a Professional Portfolio, CBA 800, 4:30 p.m.
February 27
- Tax Lunch and Learn, Room 1200A, 11:30 a.m.
- WRC, Beginning Citation Workshop, Room 1102, 12 p.m.
- After-The-Bar Party, Dick's Last Resort, 5 p.m.
- CSO: Evening Student Orientation, Room 201, 5 p.m.
February 28
- Student Focus Group, Room 1101, 12 p.m.
- CSO: Interviewing Skills Workshop, Room 532, 12 p.m.
- In-House Faculty Works-In-Progress Scholarship Roundtable, Room 3East, 12:15 p.m.
- Awards Reception Trial/ADR Teams Room 3East, 4 p.m.
February 29
- Annual Conference on Recent Developments in Intellectual Property Law, Room 1200, 8 a.m.
March 1
- BAR/BRI-JMLS Bar Essay Exam Program, Room 428, 10 a.m.
- Insights I, Room 1103, 1:30 p.m.
March 3
- Basic PCT Seminar, Room 1200, 8:30 a.m.
- Center Directors' Meeting, CBA 800, 10 a.m.
- Faculty Assembly, Room 503, 12 p.m.
- CSO: 1L Orientation, Room 300, 12 p.m.
- Insights I, Room 216, 12 p.m.
- Joint Information Session for Tax and EB, Room 200, 12 p.m.
- Information Session for LLM in Tax and EB, Room 201, 5 p.m.
March 4
- Basic PCT Seminar, Room 1200, 8:30 a.m.
March 5
- Alumni Board Executive Committee Meeting, Conference Room, 11th Floor East, 11:30 a.m.
- Alumni Association Board Meeting, CBA 800, 12 p.m.
- Careers in Customs and Trade Law, Room 1200, 12:30 p.m.
- CSO Evening Student Reception, Room 3East, 5 p.m.
March 6
- CSO: Worrying About Your Summer Job? Here's What You Need to be Doing, Room 201, 12 p.m.
- CALI Book Award Reception, Room 3East, 5 p.m.
March 7
- ASPRA 2AE Course, CBA 800, 8 a.m.
- CREL Advisory Board Meeting, Room 1103, 12 p.m.
March 8
- ASPRA 2AE Course, CBA 800, 8 a.m.
- Insights I, Room 216, 1:30 p.m.
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Students Presented Scholarships from Hellenic Bar Association
Two John Marshall Law School students were recently presented scholarships at the 57th annual Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois Dinner and Scholarship Ball.
Maria Metropulos was the recipient of the Hon. Charles P. Kocoras Scholarship and Konstantinos Muhtaris was the recipient of the Alec & Vi Gianaras Scholarship. Their $2,500 awards were matched by The John Marshall Law School.
Metropulos, a second-year student, is in the top five percent of her class. She is a candidate for Law Review, and is a member of the Public Interest Law Council, Hellenic Law Students Association and a student member of the American Bar Association.
A 2004 graduate of the University of Iowa, Metropulos worked at Arnstein & Lehr LLP as a legal assistant before beginning law school. She is a research assistant for John Marshall Professor Cecil Hunt. She has accepted a summer associate position at Holland and Knight.
Muhtaris is in his last semester at John Marshall. He is president of the Hellenic Law Students Association and treasurer of the Student Bar Association.
During summer 2007, Muhtaris was a law clerk at the Law Office of Consuelo R. Miller Ltd. and R. Paula Roderick P.C. He also was a law clerk at the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He has since been hired as a part-time technical consultant for a Homeland Security defense contractor. He also serves as a research assistant for John Marshall Professor Doris Long.
Before coming to law school, Muhtaris graduated from Schaumburg High School and received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree in computer science from Northern Illinois University. He has worked as a chemist for Avon Laboratory in Morton Grove.
2L Maria Metropulos and 3L Konstantinos Mehtaris were presented scholarships by the Hellenic Bar Association.
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Faculty Activity and Publications
Professor Paul B. Lewis
Activities
He has been invited to speak at Oxford University on the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility, International Trade, and Human Rights."
Professor Mark E. Wojcik
Activities
On February 6, Professors William Mock and Mark Wojcik spoke at Southwestern University School of Law on "Pathways to Employment in International Law," as part of the ABA Section of International Law's outreach to law student members. They also spoke with law students on international legal careers on February 7 at another panel held at Pepperdine University School of Law. Approximately 120 students attended the first program, and 60 students attended the second program.
Professor Wojcik served as a judge in the final oral argument rounds of the first Super Regional of the Philip C. Jessup Competition, which was held in Chicago at The John Marshall Law School, the Chicago Bar Association, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Many JMLS faculty, students, and alumni contributed to the success of the Jessup Regional Rounds, most especially Professor Ardath Hamann and the JMLS Moot Court. With Professor Wojcik on the final bench were Professor Cherif Bassiouni of DePaul University College of Law (one of the drafters of the international agreement establishing the International Criminal Court) and Barry Sullivan, a partner at Jenner & Block and former Dean of the Washington and Lee University School of Law. The guest speaker during the competition was Ambassador David Scheffer, the former U.S. Ambassador for War Crimes Issues, who signed the instrument establishing the International Criminal Court and who was involved in setting up other international criminal tribunals, including the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia.
Professor Wojcik was named to a three-year term on the Association of American Law Schools Committee on Sections and Annual Meetings. Also appointed were Professors Walter F. Pratt of the University of South Carolina School of Law and Michael Risinger of Seton Hall University School of Law.
Professor Wojcik participated in an ABA Law Student Networking Event presented by the Illinois ABA Delegation on February 20, 2008. Professor Wojcik facilitated the roundtable discussions on International Law.
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John Marshall Teams Take Top Honors
Two John Marshall Law School teams have taken top honors at national competitions this month.
John Marshall's team took top honors at the Animal Law Advocacy Closing Argument Competition at Harvard Law School Feb. 15-17, 2008.
Michael Bauer took first place and Timothy Reilly took second place in the national competition. This is the first year John Marshall entered the competition.
Susann MacLachlan, team coach, traveled with the team to Boston. MacLachlan, associate director of the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, and sponsor of John Marshall's Animal Law Society, also teaches Animal Law at John Marshall.
"A decade ago, there were just six law schools teaching the subject. Today there are more than 80 law schools that offer animal law courses," MacLachlan said.
A donation by alumnus Mark Pedowitz of California covered the team's expenses.
William Kalbac and Michael O'Brien won third place in the country at the American Bar Association's 23rd annual Negotiation Competition Feb. 8 and 9.
The competition started with 216 teams, and of those, John Marshall's team was among the 26 teams to be selected for the final competition. After the four final rounds, Kalbac and O'Brien were named third place winners.
They traveled to Los Angeles with team coach and Adjunct Professor Dawn Bode and team member Zach Martel for the national competition. They were also coached by Professor Molly Lien. Adjunct faculty members Judge William Ward and Michael Schlesinger gave countless hours since September 2007 to moot and discuss strategy on the regional and national problems.
This is the second year that the John Marshall team has placed in the top three teams in the country. In 2007, John Marshall's Dan Padernacht and Curtis Vosti placed second and went on to represent John Marshall in international competition in Singapore.
Negotiation team members Michael O'Brien (left) and William Kalbac (second from left) worked with team coaches Professor Molly Lien (third from left) and Adjunct Professor Dawn Bode (right) in preparation for the competition. The team took third place honors.
Animal Law team members Timothy Reilly (left) and Michael Bauer (right) are joined by coach Susann MacLachlan displaying their trophies from their wins at the Harvard Law School competition.
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