Illinois LawCast

As a land-grant institution, the University of Illinois was founded on the idea it should provide education to the people of the state of Illinois, no matter their background or socioeconomic level. In addition, the College of Law's mission includes advancing justice and the public good. To marry these goals, the College of Law and Pre-Law Advising Services created the I Am Ready program, which su...

The first year of law school is a unique experience. Though some students may have the option to enroll in pre-law minor, there is no requirement for any specific curriculum to be admitted to law school, which makes the first year a foundational year that can be challenging, surprising, and inspiring in a short period of time. For this episode, we gathered a few talented and intelligent members of...

In this special bonus episode, Professor Jason Mazzone joins the podcast to discuss the case of Trump v. Barbara , argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 1, 2026. Mazzone is the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Director of the Illinois Program in Constitutional Theory, History, and Law. An expert on issues of constitutional structu...

This episode examines the College of Law's Jurist in Residence program. Started in 2025, the program brings a member of the judicial branch to campus to teach a class, work with faculty, and be a resource to students. The program, one of only two such initiatives in Illinois, aims to deepen the College’s connections to the bench, inspire students to pursue judicial clerkships, and provide them wit...

One of Illinois Law's areas of strength is environmental law. We routinely offer core courses such as environmental law, administrative law, and natural resources, as well as advanced environmental electives, such as climate change and sustainable development. Where we go the extra mile, literally, is in innovative environmental courses that offer hands-on teaching. In this episode, Professor Heid...

A 2014 College of Law graduate, Lisa Kpor currently serves as Litigation Counsel for United Airlines, where she provides guidance numerous matters related to disputes and litigation. Born and raised in Virginia, Lisa knew from a young age that she wanted to be a lawyer, and chose Illinois Law for its reputation, diversity, and connection to the Chicago legal world. After graduating, Lisa worked as...

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 a novel program because of its tracks, where students can choose...

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 her to do great things for our students. Few individuals are as dedicated to Illinois as Sal...

In this episode we speak with our two newest full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty, Eric Baudry and Sarah Lawsky. They shared about themselves, their research, and what they are looking forward to as members of the College of Law faculty. About Eric Baudry: Eric Baudry is an assistant professor of law at the University of Illinois, where he teaches and writes about tax law, poverty, and redis...

A 2008 graduate of the College of Law, Josh Whitman joins the podcast to discuss decision to pursue a law degree, his time as a student, and how he navigated his way back to Illinois and the role of athletic director. He expands on some of the challenges he faces as one of the University's highest profile employees and how he strives to be successful and fights complacency. About Josh Whitman: Jos...

We kick off season two with an engrossing conversation with Professor Robert Lawless about his new book, Debt's Grip: Risk and Consumer Bankruptcy . The book explores financial precarity in the United States and utilizes original data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, including the words of bankruptcy filers themselves to shed light on their situations. Professor Lawless shared insight into ho...

Bobby Mannis and Vindy Murthy, 2025 graduates, join the podcast to discuss their artificial intelligence-powered learning tool, NomosLearning. They share some background on how their education at Illinois inspired the building of this tool and how they came together to create a tool that all Illinois students can use. NomosLearning harnesses the power of AI to supplement reading for students, crea...

Studying the law at the University of Illinois doesn't always mean being in Illinois. In this episode, third-year student Rama Hamad shares her experience studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, and how the chance to study internationally has helped her on her path to being an outstanding lawyer. In the second half of the episode, Rebecca Ray, assistant director for Graduate and International Studies, f...

This episode is all about advocacy and what that means for law students and lawyers. We turn the spotlight on the Kimball R. and Karen Gatsis Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism and learn about the classes and competitions they offer to help Illinois Law students become the best advocates possible. Guests include Professor Tony Ghiotto, director of the Anderson Center, and third-year...

Juan Thomas has found great success in the legal world and in politics since graduating from Illinois Law in 1996, and now he is taking the time to give back by teaching The History of the African-American Lawyer in the United States. We talked about his path to the law and why he is passionate about sharing Black history with a new generation of students.

The Supreme Court unanimously agreed the law banning TikTok from the United States was constitutional and should go into effect as written; however, on January 20th, President Donald Trump instructed the Attorney General not to enforce the law for 75 days. So, what is going on and what is the legal basis for any of it? Professor Lena Shapiro, who also leads our First Amendment Clinic Director, joi...

In this episode, Assistant Director of Athletics, Strategic Initiatives Kamron Cox joins to talk about his journey through the law to the University of Illinois Athletics Department. When he was hired for his role with the Fighting Illini, Kam was the first specialist in name, image, and likeness law among Power 5 schools. He shared how he has traversed the changing landscape of college athletics...

In this episode, our newest faculty members, Bill Watson and Sara Gerke, sit down to discuss their path to Illinois Law, their specialties, and how they are enjoying their time at the College of Law thus far.

This episode features Abass Sesay, an LLM student from Sierra Leone and founder of the nonprofit, Campaign for Social Justice and Human Rights. We discussed his work promoting climate change action, youth empowerment, and justice, as well as attending the United Nations’ Summit of the Future in and IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings.

Founder and director of the Veterans Legal Clinic, Yulanda Curtis, joins the podcast to discuss her passion for providing civil legal services to the veteran community. In the second half of this episode, 3L student Luke Hemmerla, a current member of the Missouri Army National Guard, joins to discuss his work as a clinician and how his military background has helped him in this role. More informat...

In this episode we speak with Jolynn Caroline, who was recently named the College of Law's senior director for inclusive excellence, career planning and professional development. We discussed her lifelong connections to the University of Illinois, her work in the careers office at the College of Law, and her goals working in inclusive excellence.

This episode explores a couple of work experiences open to current students and recent graduates. Guests for this discussion are Sarah Shamsi, a rising 3L student who spent her summer externing as a law clerk with the City of Chicago, and Alex Bailey, a 2023 graduate who has been a judicial law clerk in the Southern District of Indiana for the past year. Both guests had great stories and reasons w...

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