Class Notes

Class Notes are displayed in the order that they are received. You may also view notes by decade, or by class year – simply click on the decade or click on the + symbol to expand the decade and display by year. If a given class year does not appear, notes do not exist for that particular year.

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Marlén Cortez Morris '06

(11/15/24)

Marlén Cortez Morris was featured by Hispanic Executive magazine as a "catalyst for change." In this feature, Marlén talks about her personal journey to a career in law as a first-generation Latina lawyer, the need for more Latino/a lawyers in the legal field, and tips and resources to help others navigate this path.

Brian Garrison '06

(4/23/24)

Faegre Drinker announced its 2024 leadership appointments, including Brian Garrison as the Indianapolis office leader. Garrison is a labor and employment partner who has been with the firm since 2005. He represents and counsels employers on a broad range of complex labor and employment matters, with a particular focus on traditional labor issues.

Viviana Martinez '06

(12/20/22)

Viviana Martinez was elected judge for the 14th Subcircuit of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois in the November 2022 elections. She assumed office on December 5, 2022.

Marlen Cortez Morris '06

(12/20/22)

Marlén Cortez Morris has been named a 2022 Top Latino Lawyer by Latino Leaders magazine and selected for inclusion in the 2023 edition of "The Best Lawyers in America."

Dale Chang '06

(11/12/21)
Dale Chang has been promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins in Chicago, effective January 1, 2022. A member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice in the Litigation & Trial Department he focuses on patent disputes involving a range of leading-edge technologies. He has tried more than a dozen cases in US federal courts and at the US International Trade Commission. He also has experience in challenging and defending patents before the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He received his JD from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2006 and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 2001.

Marlen Cortez Morris '06

(4/7/21)
Marlén Cortez Morris has joined Ogletree Deakins as shareholder in the firm’s Chicago office. Marlén represents and advises clients on a wide range of labor and employment matters, as well as franchise and commercial litigation matters, in courts and alternative dispute resolution venues and before government agencies nationwide. She has been named to the 2020 Lawyers of Color Nation’s Best list and a 2021 Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers.

Reema Dodin '06

(3/24/21)
Reema Dodin '06, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, was recently profiled in the Daily Beast as a key player in shepherding the COVID-19 relief bill through the Senate approval process.

Marlén Cortez Morris '06

(1/29/21)
Marlén Cortez Morris, Litigation Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, was selected for inclusion in Crain’s 2020 Notable Minority Executives in Accounting, Consulting & Law, featuring a cohort of 56 who have overcome challenges and bias to rise to the top of their professions and who have stepped up to visible roles in diversity and inclusion initiatives. In 2020, Marlén also was named a Top Franchise Legal Player by 1851 Franchise Magazine and a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers.

Jenny Goltz '06

(10/26/20)
Jenny Goltz,  a member of Cozen O’Connor’s national Labor and Employment Department, has been named Co-Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Labor and Employment Law Section on Technology in the Practice and Workplace Committee.

Jeremiah Posedel '06

(1/15/20)
Jeremiah Posedel has been elected partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, effective Feb. 1, 2020.  Jeremiah is one of 13 attorneys elected in the new partnership class. He is resident in the firm’s Chicago office and assists clients in two distinct but overlapping domains: (i) information technology transactions and (ii) information privacy and security.

Marlén Cortez Morris '06

(9/11/19)
Marlén Cortez Morris has been recognized as a 2019 Franchise Legal Player by 1851 Franchise Magazine and selected for inclusion in Negocios Now’s “2019 Who’s Who in Hispanic Chicago” in the Law category.

Marlén is a Litigation Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Chicago where she is a member of the Franchising and Distribution Group. Marlén represents and advises clients on a wide range of franchise and distribution, labor and employment, and commercial litigation matters.

Kimberly Janas '06

(1/18/19)
llinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Kim Janas as Chief of Staff. Kim Janas has worked in a variety of positions in state government, including as Secretary of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Formerly, she was an Associate Counsel at the Office of Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton, where she advised the Senate Judiciary and Insurance Committees. Janas was also an Assistant Attorney General in the General Law Bureau under Attorney General Lisa Madigan and a Staff Attorney at the Legislative Reference Bureau. Most recently, Janas was the General Counsel for the Illinois State Medical Society and ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company.

Katherine Lewis '06

(9/11/18)
Katherine Lewis was named Co-Chair of the Business & Finance group at her current law firm, Much Shelist. She focuses on the numerous legal and business issues that arise in the context of corporate transactions and investments. She also counsels family-owned and midsize businesses in a wide range of industries—including technology, retail, manufacturing and health care.

Marlen Cortez Morris '06

(6/12/18)
Marlén Cortez Morris has been recognized as a 2018 Top Lawyer Under 40 by the Hispanic National Bar Association and a 2018 Franchise Legal Player by 1851 Franchise Magazine. The University of Illinois College of Law’s Latina/o Law Students Association has also honored Marlén as its 2018 Alumnus of the Year.

Ryan Gammelgard '06

(4/3/18)
Ryan Gammelgard, '06, received the 2017 Lifesaver Award from Prairie State Legal Services for his contributions and support to pro bono work. He received the Award at the 2017 McLean County Bar Association Holiday Luncheon. Ryan also received the State Farm Law Department Pro Bono Award in 2017, which included a $500 contribution from State Farm to Prairie State Legal Services. For both awards, Ryan was recognized for his work in helping plan a bi-annual pro bono legal clinic conducted by Prairie State Legal Services, the Public Interest Law Initiative, State Farm, and a number of other community organizations. These bi-annual legal clinics have helped serve over 150 people in the last couple of years. In addition, he helped develop a monthly pro bono legal clinic with Prairie State Legal Services and State Farm and also serves as a volunteer attorney for a number of other legal aid organizations.

Adam Jung '06

(8/11/17)
Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C. partner Adam Jung has been appointed to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Chicago Athletics Advisory Board. The board, comprised of University of Illinois alumni and supporters with deep connections to Chicago, provides assistance and recommendations to the University’s Division of Intercollegiate Athletics as it continues to pursue increased exposure and support for Fighting Illini athletics throughout Chicagoland.

Marlén Cortez Morris '06

(2/3/2017)
Marlén Cortez Morris has been elevated to partner at Cheng Cohen LLC, a leading franchise law firm in Chicago. Marlén represents and advises franchisors, licensors, and distributors on a wide range of issues including labor and employment matters, the enforcement and defense of franchise agreements, and disputes regarding regulatory matters. She has been named a 2017 Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers.

Luc Attlan '06

(2/2/2017)
Luc Attlan has been elected a partner by Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. He is a member of the Corporate Group and is based out of the Chicago office. Luc concentrates his practice on international corporate transactions and counseling. Luc advises a broad range of clients, ranging from small businesses to multinational Fortune 50 corporations. He also works with foreign companies seeking to do business in the U.S., as well as U.S. companies in need of assistance with their foreign operations.

Ryan Gammelgard '06

(1/31/2017)
Ryan D. Gammelgard has been elected President of the McLean County Bar Association. In addition, Ryan was one of 40 emerging leaders from the public and private sectors in Illinois selected to participate in the 2016 Edgar Fellows Program hosted by the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Ryan is Counsel at State Farm in Bloomington, Illinois, where he works on public policy issues related to self-driving cars, drones, and other innovation related matters.

Jasmine Hernandez '06

(1/6/2017)
Jasmine Hernandez is now the 1st Vice-President (and President-elect) of the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago. 
Jasmine is an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State's Attorney’s Office in its Juvenile Justice Bureau. In addition to her work with AABA, Jasmine is immediate past president of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago, editorial board member of the CBA Record, as well as a member of the Women's Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association.