Matt and Radhika sit down with LUC Law Professor Henry Rose, Emma McMullen of Legal Aid Chicago, and current Loyola 3L Sarah Sewell to talk about public interest law. We'll discuss what drives students to go into public interest and what discourages them, the most pressing areas of need for legal assistance today, the obstacles that make it difficult for those in need of legal aid to receive zealous advocacy and the challenge of law school graduates pursuing such work with a heavy debt burden.

Prof. Henry Rose Bio: Upon completion of law school, Professor Rose practiced law for the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation for six years. He also was employed by the Legal Services Corporation as a management consultant for one year. He was the director of the Loyola University Community Law Center for many years. His principal areas of academic interest include civil law as it affects low income persons and property.

Emma McMullen Bio: Emma wanted to be a lawyer for as long as she can remember and was one of the few who entered law school with a career path in mind and stuck to it. As an undergrad at the University of Illinois, she double majored in psychology and political science where she found an intersection between systems of policy and youth development. When she entered law school and the Child Law fellowship program at Loyola, Emma was confident her academic background would put her on a policy track, ideally in the realm of foster care and adoption. However, after her experiences with direct service at the Family Defense Center (now called Ascend Justice) and through the Civitas Child Law Clinic, she decided she loved working with clients and needed more background on how individuals are impacted by systems before she moved toward policy. Emma began working at Legal Aid Chicago (formerly LAF) after taking the bar and has spent the past year working with youth in care and education matters and victims of domestic violence who are navigating the family law legal system.

Sarah Sewell: Originally from Lake Charles, Louisiana, Sarah graduated from Loyola University New Orleans in May of 2015 and worked in various elementary education positions before leaving New Orleans in 2017 to study education law at Loyola. As a law student, Sarah changed directions to focus on child welfare and has been clerking at the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office since May of last year. There, Sarah has had the privilege to represent numerous children in Juvenile Court Child Protection proceedings using her 711 license, and has worked on various aspects of cases including witness and exhibit preparation, participation in mediation, investigations, as well as client interviews. She hopes to continue a career in child protection after graduating in May of 2020. When she’s not studying, Sarah loves exploring Chicago parks, discovering new music, and trying to keep her plants alive. She also wants everyone to know you get free admission to the Art Institute with your Loyola ID!