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Details | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

JusticeCorps Fellows Attend 1st District Appellate Court Oral Arguments

8/26/2019

August 26, 2019

Last month, Illinois JusticeCorps (ILJC) Fellows concluded their one-year term of service by attending oral arguments at the Illinois First District Appellate Court. This first-ever event was hosted by Justice Mary K. Rochford, Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (Commission) and Justice Daniel J. Pierce, a member of the Commission.

The Fellows attended two oral arguments before the First District's First Division: 900 North Rush, LLC v. Intermix Holdco, Inc. and M. Tomas Cardenas v. Ray Grozdic and Real Estate Advisors, Inc. Following oral arguments, the Fellows were provided an opportunity for a Q&A session with Justice Pierce, Justice John C. Griffin, and Justice Carl Anthony Walker from the panel.  

Many of the ILJC Fellows are leaving the program to attend law school this fall and, thus, were genuinely interested in learning more about how the Illinois court system operates. Due to their intensive work throughout the year helping self-represented litigants (SRLs) in their respective circuit court, the Fellows were keenly interested in the appellate court's initiatives to aid SRLs in their appeals. Observing oral arguments proved to be an inspiring and educational experience for the Fellows. Lauren Spungen (ILJC Fellow in Lake County; attending the University of Chicago Law School this fall) helped organize the event and explained, "After spending the year working so closely with litigants in circuit court, it was fascinating to attend oral arguments and speak to the justices about the appellate court system. Our visit certainly opened my eyes to the unique and often insurmountable challenges SRLs face at the appellate stage."

The Commission is proud to partake in this unique collaboration between the courts, the Illinois Bar Foundation, The Chicago Bar Foundation, and AmeriCorps.  The Commission wishes the departing ILJC Fellows the best of luck in law school and in their future career endeavors, and thanks them for their tremendous service.  

Click here to view photos from this event.

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