Holly Grosshans: Leadership Opportunities Abound at John Marshall

The John Marshall Law School gives its students more than 40 options to serve through its numerous clubs and student organizations, such as the Student Bar Association (SBA). 

Holly Grosshans got involved early on at John Marshall, and was elected vice president of the SBA as a 2L. She was responsible for the Barrister's Ball, the annual formal event of the year. Grosshans took care of every detail-from selecting the venue to the ticket sales.

She was elected SBA president for the 2007-2008 academic year and finds the position demanding and at the same time a wonderful way to work with the law school administration to bring about positive change for students. 

"This semester we've worked on deans' open office hours, getting the library hours extended during finals, and the Loan Repayment Assistance Program that the John Marshall Board of Trustees recently approved," she explained.

The SBA also recognizes student organizations for their work during the semester presenting awards for the most active minority student organization, most active legal fraternity and most active student organization.

"Our students do so much they deserve to be in the spotlight," Grosshans said.

A native of the Chicago area, Grosshans was living in Boston before coming to law school. "Going to law school was something I wanted to do since taking a debate class in high school," she said. "John Marshall has been great for me.  I've had wonderful opportunities, including the 1L trial competition where you work with teammates in developing a mock trial argument and compete against other 1L teams. That experience was phenomenal. I was comfortable in the courtroom and that convinced me that I wanted to be a prosecutor."

For the past 18 months, she has interned at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. Today she is in the Felony Trials Division and has used her 711 License to participate in more than 10 bench trials and motions.