Law Day 2025

CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN

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T H U R S D AY, M AY 1, 2025 | PAGE 15

Well-trained lawyers are key Julie D. Lawton Interim Dean, DePaul University College of Law

Gestures of kindness have big impact Kaitlyn Poirier Acting Dean, Southern Illinois University School of Law of justice begins with well-trained lawyers who are provided the context to understand the “ why ” before addressing the “ what. ” That context is crucial for the administration of justice. Whether our law students learn that context in our Criminal Appeals legal clinic, our Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic, our Domestic Violence Practicum or in our Pro Bono and Community Service Initiative, at DePaul Law it all begins with our students ’ commitment to learning and upholding a foundational respect for the rule of law. It continues with our commitment to educating and training them and culminates in our graduates ’ daily efforts to improve the administration of justice for all.

familiar chorus: “ Good morning! ” “ Hi, Kaitlyn! ” “ How are you doing today? ” Such simple gestures of col- legiality and kindness have a bigger impact than you might think. If not for the welcome opening salvos when I enter Simmons Law, I might not have told a fellow professor about an idea for an assignment to improve students ’ legal analysis skills or learned about her recent schol- arship. And if not for those conversations, we would not have developed a more fulsome plan for improving students ’ legal analysis or discussed how we could collaborate on a future article. And if not for that ... you see the point. Seemingly innocuous greetings can lead to something greater. I am convinced that our monthly Faculty Coffee Chats — where members of the faculty lead a discussion on a specific topic — stem from the camaraderie fostered by our daily greetings. In the past year, our Faculty Coffee Chats explored topics such as enhancing classroom discussion, managing student interactions and how to choose the best textbooks for our classes. I have left each of these meetings with an appreciation for the faculty members who gave up their lunch hour to help me improve, which in turn, improves our students ’ ability to become capable lawyers. In short, saying something as simple as “ good morn- ing ” may benefit you as an individual lawyer as well as the entire justice system. After all, can you produce your best work in an unpleasant environment or one where you do not feel comfortable working with your colleagues? Will that work product help the administration of justice? The answer to those questions is probably no. So, continue (or start) greeting your colleagues. You never know what will happen.

“ It all begins with our students ’ commitment to learning and upholding a foundational respect for the rule of law. ”

DePaul University College of Law prides itself in at- tracting, developing and graduating purpose-driven lawyers who are leaders in Chicago legal practice. With more Illinois Super Lawyers than any other law school in the state, our graduates are leading practitioners pro- tecting the city ’ s most vulnerable populations. The cur- rent Illinois attorney general is a graduate of our un- dergraduate institution, and the Illinois lieutenant gov- ernor and the Cook County public defender are graduates of DePaul Law. We improve the administration of justice because our graduates proudly populate and lead state public offices, the public defender and attorney general ’ s offices, help- ing to ensure that victims and those accused of crimes receive competent representation in the criminal justice system. At DePaul Law, we believe that the administration

“ Saying something as simple as ‘ good morning ’ may benefit you as an individual lawyer as well as the entire justice system. ”

As I entered the Southern Illinois University Sim- mons Law School this morning, I was greeted by a

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