Matthew Louis Brown passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, January 10, 2026. He began his legal career as an associate with the Chicago firm of Sachnoff & Weaver, Ltd., later continuing his work after its merger with Reed Smith, LLP, before joining his father at Brown Law Group in 2010. A full obituary is available online.
Author: Chris Davies
Noelle C. Collins ’01
United States Magistrate Judge Noelle C. Collins was sworn in for a five-year term as Chief Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri on December 30, 2025. Judge Collins has served as a Magistrate Judge since 2013. Prior to that, she worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in St. Louis, specializing in human trafficking prosecutions […]
Illinois Law remembers Dave Downey ’66
Very few individuals can claim honors like those Dave Downey earned: the basketball court at Canton High School was recently renamed in his honor; he still holds the single-game scoring record at the University of Illinois, and State Farm Center has a “Club 53” commemorating his 53-point performance; and in his professional career, he was […]
Illinois LawCast: Undergraduate Opportunities with Jennie Pahre and Meghan Brinson
Learning the law isn’t solely the province of graduate students. The University of Illinois offers undergraduates the chance to enroll in the Legal Studies minor for those interested in pursuing a JD after graduating or those who would just like to broaden their understanding of the law within their field. The Legal Studies minor is […]
Mercury News quotes Sherkow on California’s generic insulin
To help residents with the high cost of insulin, a necessary drug for patients with diabetes, the state of California decided to develop its own generic brand of the medicine. The project will begin distributing “CalRx” insulin to consumers in January, and the San Jose Mercury News spoke to Professor Jacob Sherkow about how this […]
Harlem World quotes Leipold on grand juries
Grand juries have twice declined to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud, despite the Trump administration’s efforts. The decisions are a strong rebuke of the administration, and Harlem World quoted Professor Andrew Leipold in their article on the subject, noting “something has gone horribly wrong” in the case when a prosecutor […]
John Lagrou ’15
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer recently announced the election of John Lagrou to the firm’s partnership in the US. Lagrou is based in New York and advises on primarily middle-market transactions for private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies.
Illinois LawCast: Student Services with Dean of Students Kelly Salefski
In this episode, we speak with Kelly Salefski, who was named Assistant Dean of Academic Administration and Dean of Students in June. She shared a great deal about what the College of Law is doing to help students achieve their goals, as well as her plans to improve our services and how her background helps […]
Rowell co-authors editorial on nuclear regulation
Many recent changes in rules and regulations surrounding nuclear power reactors have been enacted with the goal of expanding the use of nuclear technology, but the shifts also run the risk of overwhelming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and threatening the industry. In a new editorial published by Nuclear Newswire, Professor Arden Rowell and a team […]
Watson publishes new article in Boston University Law Review
What is really being debated when individuals debate legal interpretation? This is the central question in a new paper written by Professor Bill Watson published in the latest issue of the Boston University Law Review. The “meta-interpretive” question “is key to making progress,” according to Watson. “We should be wary of monolithic interpretive theories that […]