Law Alumni Association

 

Beginnings.  Collectively we recently have experienced many beginnings:  the New Year, the election and inauguration of a new President of the United States (the first African American to hold that office!), and the announcement of a new dean for our law school.  One new beginning with which you may not be as familiar was the creation of the University of Illinois Law Alumni Association.   On May 19, 2008, the Law Alumni Association, “LAA” for short, was born. 

LAA is what is known as a constituent organization and is affiliated with the University of Illinois Alumni Association.   Constituent organizations are college specific alumni clubs intended to service the alumni of a particular college within the University of Illinois system.  Before the creation of LAA, each college on the Champaign-Urbana campus had a constituent organization except for the College of Law.  More importantly, LAA is your alumni association.  By virtue of being a graduate of the College of Law, you are a member of LAA. 

We have been working hard to create an organization to meet the diverse needs of the College of Law’s alumni and of course welcome your suggestions on what you would like in an alumni organization.  Committees and advisory boards are being assembled.  Moreover, LAA has teamed with the College of Law to host events in Champaign and Chicago.  Over one hundred alumni attended LAA’s launch party on July 16th at 10 Pin Lounge in Chicago.  On November 5th, once again over one hundred alumni turned out to welcome the new admittees to the Illinois bar at A Mano Trattoria in Chicago.  We plan to reach out to alumni in other geographic regions and hope to see you at future events. 

In my short time as President of LAA, I have had the privilege of meeting scores of our fellow alumni.  We are a dynamic group who bring a passion to our professional pursuits.  As Professor Ronald Rotunda used to say we are “a hardy people.”  But, no matter where we go or what we do each of shares the bond of having had our personal beginning (at least formal beginning) as a student of the law in Champaign, Illinois.  I encourage you to reach out to a classmate, professor or fellow alumni with which you have not had recent contact and see how he or she is doing.  You may be surprised.  LAA’s goal is to help you reconnect with those who share a common beginning, to reconnect with the sprit that started you on your professional path, in short, to reconnect each of us in our own way with the place in the Central Illinois prairie where we first learned the joys, frustrations and triumphs of studying the law – the University of Illinois College of Law.  

Very Truly Yours,

Mark A. Bradford
President University of Illinois Law Alumni Association