The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF) awarded its 2017 Post Graduate Legal Fellowship Program grants to law school clinics at DePaul University College of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and Northern Illinois University College of Law.

Each law school selected a 2017 graduate for the one-year fellowship, designed to increase access to civil legal aid, help new attorneys develop practical legal skills and build a network, and encourage the participants to use their skills to serve those in need throughout their career through public interest jobs or pro bono work. The 2017 participants are Mallory Morgan, a graduate of DePaul University College of Law; Caitlin A. Kelly, Loyola University Chicago School of Law; and Ryan Lowe, Northern Illinois University (NIU) College of Law. The IBF and law school share the cost of the fellowships, which have been awarded annually since 2014.

Morgan will serve at DePaul’s Poverty Law Clinic concentrating on representing clients in consumer, employment, and housing issues. Kelly will be located at the Community Law Center Clinic at Loyola University Chicago focusing on family issues, landlord-tenant conflicts, and benefit questions. Lowe will work at NIU Law’s Zeke Giorgi Clinic in Rockford providing legal aid to low-income senior citizens and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Morgan graduated magna cum laude from DePaul University College of Law. She is a Public Interest Honors Scholar and recipient of the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center Scholarship and the DePaul University College of Law’s Chancellor’s Award for Service. In addition to her numerous distinctions, Morgan served as the associate editor of the DePaul Law Review and was a member of the Committee for the Center for Public Interest Law.

Kelly worked as a legal writing tutor and lead articles editor for the Loyola Law Journal, and volunteered regularly with Loyola’s Community Law Clinic. A member of the Dean’s List, Kelly also served as president of Loyola’s Women’s Law Society.

Lowe graduated cum laude from NIU College of Law and has experience working for the DuPage and DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Offices, the NIU Foreclosure Mediation Clinic, and the Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic with a focus on criminal defense. He also worked as a research assistant for the deputy director of the NIU College of Law Law Library and for a former editor of the Harvard Law Review.

The IBF raises funds for distribution to Illinois nonprofit organizations whose mission is to provide civil legal aid to those with limited means. Through its Warren Lupel Lawyers Care Fund, the IBF also provides financial assistance to lawyers who can no longer support themselves due to incapacity. This year, the IBF will distribute more than $820,000 in funds to promote access to justice and help support lawyers in need.

For more information on the Illinois Bar Foundation’s Post-Graduate Legal Fellowship program, visit www.IllinoisBarFoundation.org or call the IBF at (312) 726-6072.