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Michelle E. Duff: 2005-2006 President, Black Law Students Association, DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, IL
[By Judith Earley] Third-year law student Michelle Duff got involved with the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) at DePaul University College of Law and ended up serving as the organizations president. I got involved with this organization by signing up for their mentoring program my first year of law school and then by attending their events throughout the year, said Duff.

Essentially in my role as president, I was responsible for managing an executive board of eight law students in order to provide quality academic and social support to black law students so that we could in turn support the larger needs of the black community, said Duff. As President of the Black Law Students Association, Duff was responsible for articulating the professional needs of law students to the university and organizing DePauls black law students unique legal skills to support the needs of the black community. For example, the 2005-2006 executive board was one of the first student organizations to speak out about the slow relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina by writing op-eds to local newspapers. In addition, we raised money for a displaced family that has been relocated to Chicago, said Duff. Additionally, the BLSA organized academicsupport workshops and manages a mentoring program, which pairs up level students with incoming students. Under Duffs leadership, the association held many community service events, including co-sponsoring an expungement training seminar with Carbini Green Legal Aid. The benefits of getting involved with the BLSA are numerous, said Duff. The organization provides social, academic, and financial support to their members. Also, BLSAs ability to pool the talent and skills of law students to impact their community for the better is

phenomenal for those who are interested in serving those who are disenfranchised. Duffs interest in the law was sparked while on an eighth-grade field trip to City Hall. I shadowed the Citys Attorney, David Dillner, said Duff. While shadowing Attorney Dillner, I saw the positive impact that the law can have on peoples lives and their community. This was especially important to me because the neighborhood in which I grew up in was extremely socially and economically deprived. As a result of this experience, as I matriculated through high school and college, I began to take law-related courses. My interest in law was solidified after taking eight pre-law courses with a Professor Stan Howard at DePaul University, who to this day still serves as my mentor. Throughout these courses, Dr. Howard showed me how the law can ennoble or denigrate ones experience. After taking these courses with him, not only was my interest in becoming a lawyer crystallized, but I decided I didnt want to only be a lawyer, but I desired to be social engineer, said Duff. Duff met her greatest influence in law school thus far while she clerked at a civil rights law firmStandish E. Willis, a civil rights attorney and activist. This was a position she found through a DePaul alum. His steadfast commitment to assisting disenfranchised people is remarkable. During the time that I clerked for him, he made many personal sacrifices that to me were remarkable, said Duff.

The most enjoyable aspect of law for Duff is dissecting legal theories and discovering their real-world effect on society and individuals. Duff said that the legal theories that most interest her are legal realism and critical race theory and her favorite courses are Poverty Law, Health Law, and Critical Race Theory. She also interned on Capitol Hill with the House Democratic Caucus. I learned of [the Capitol Hill internship] by flying out to D.C. and essentially going door-to-door, dropping off resumes at congressional offices, and speaking with acquaintances on the Hill about summer employment, said Duff. After graduation, I would like to eventually return to Capitol Hill; but I am keeping my options open. I am considering fellowships with Equal Justice Society, ACLU, and other policy/ law related opportunities, in addition to judicial clerkships, said Duff. Although she has one more year to go, Duff said that her fondest law school memory was when the DePauls BLSA chapter partnered with other Chicago-area BLSAs to form the CCBLSA (Chicago Council of Black Law Students Associations). We held our first CCBLSA gala, which attracted over 400 people, over 20 Chicago area law firms, and Jesse Jackson, Jr., as our keynote speaker, said Duff. This event honored African American lawyers who were pioneers in the profession and paved the way for so many black law students to follow. In addition to drawing such a large number of law students and

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professionals, we also raised a significant amount of money that will be used for scholarships in the near future. And when she does graduate, Duff said that she is definitely interested in working in the field of legislative affairs/policy advocacy.

ON THE NET DePaul University College of Law www.law.depaul.edu House Democratic Caucus www.dems.gov Black Law Students Association www.law.depaul.edu/students/organizations_ journals/student_orgs/lawblsa/default.asp

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