Sonia Antolec (JD 鈥�07), Aileen Flanagan (BS 鈥�85, JD 鈥�89), Matthew T. Glavin (JD 鈥�09), and Terry Moritz (BS 鈥�66, JD 鈥�70)
In a school known for turning out graduates who pay it forward, these individuals stand out as particularly strong symbols of service. Here are the recipients of the 2023 黑料门University Chicago School of Law alumni awards, which will be presented at the on Saturday, October 28.
Antolec has taught trial practice, child law, and other courses at the law school since 2013.
There was a moment during her law school orientation鈥攈er first week on campus鈥攚hen Sonia Antolec thought she would have to drop out. The single mother of one had wanted to become a lawyer since age 7, but things were not aligning in her personal life to allow her to take all the classes she needed in the full-time program.
鈥淚 went to Dean [Pamela] Bloomquist and just cried,鈥� Antolec recalls. Bloomquist consulted with Dean James Faught, and together they figured out how she could take a mix of day and evening classes and still finish her degree in three years.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any other law school would have done that for me,鈥� Antolec says. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be a lawyer if it weren鈥檛 for Loyola. They supported all of me, so I can give all of me back.鈥�
And she does just that. In her third year of law school, Antolec began volunteering as assistant coach of Loyola鈥檚 team for the Hispanic National Bar Association鈥檚 Uvaldo Herrera National Moot Court Competition. Right after graduating, she became head coach and continued in that role for nearly 12 years.
She has taught trial practice, child law, and other courses at the law school since 2013. Antolec also serves on the Law Alumni Board of Governors as the inaugural Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity chair.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be a lawyer if it weren鈥檛 for Loyola. They supported all of me, so I can give all of me back."
She does all this in addition to working full time as chief legal officer for the 1937 Group, a social equity鈥揻ocused cannabis company, and serving as a judge on the Illinois Court of Claims. She also volunteers with several other organizations, including as president of the San Ignacio Society, an alumni board at St. Ignatius College Prep that advocates for Latino students there.
Serving 黑料门as an alumna was a 鈥渘o-brainer,鈥� says Antolec. She explains: 鈥淚 come from an underserved community. I have grandparents who didn鈥檛 speak English. My mom was a migrant worker. My parents don鈥檛 have college degrees. I was a teen mom. Against all those odds, I am where I am today by the grace of extraordinary people, including the deans at 黑料门who were real people with real families of their own. They invested so much in me, always without judgment.鈥�
Flanagan is in her 11th year at the Law Center for Better Housing, a nonprofit firm that offers free legal services to renters in Chicago.
The biannual Public Service Merit Award recognizes a School of Law graduate who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service and social justice in their career.
鈥淓verything I was exposed to at 黑料门encouraged a sense of obligation to be present for people in need.鈥� That, says Aileen Flanagan, is at the root of her dedication to public service.
Flanagan is in her 11th year at the Law Center for Better Housing (LCBH), a nonprofit firm that offers free legal services to renters in Chicago. Now a supervisor, she joined LCBH as a staff attorney to do foreclosure-related outreach and eviction defense litigation.
鈥淚 really developed my passion to advocate for safe, stable housing at LCBH,鈥� she says, but notes that her drive to work on social issues was instilled by her parents and her 黑料门education. She particularly credits her experience at the legal clinic and the guidance and mentorship of Professor Henry Rose.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I began to understand that, once a person鈥檚 housing is gone, they are hanging on to their stability by their fingernails. It鈥檚 so difficult to regain what you鈥檝e lost after that,鈥� she says.
Now Flanagan herself is contributing to what could be regarded as another landmark for both improved access to justice and homelessness prevention: the Early Resolution Program (ERP) of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The ERP improves the eviction court process by providing free legal counseling to self-represented tenants and landlords and connecting them with resources that can help resolve a case before trial, avoid an eviction, or at least help tenants leave the property with dignity, says Flanagan.
鈥淗istorically, eviction court is a summary proceeding designed to quickly restore possession of the property to the landlord,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he ERP provides free legal aid consultation for tenants, who almost never have lawyers and who tend to be low-income families and marginalized community members. Many of our clients are women of color with children.鈥�
鈥淓verything I was exposed to at 黑料门encouraged a sense of obligation to be present for people in need.鈥�
Since fall 2020, when the ERP was only an idea, stakeholders from the City of Chicago and Cook County (including the Chicago Bar Foundation, the Center for Conflict Resolution, and several legal aid agencies) have collaborated to develop the program. Now Flanagan coordinates LCBH鈥檚 participation in it. Thanks to the ERP, many cases have been settled before trial, conserving judicial resources and avoiding the abrupt loss of housing for many families, Flanagan says.
The ERP is only the most recent, and probably the most visible, example of Flanagan鈥檚 work to advance social justice. Beyond her focus on housing, she has also represented鈥攑ro bono鈥攄isadvantaged clients in issues of domestic disputes, child custody, and consumer rights.
When Flanagan talks about her alma mater, she expresses deep appreciation for the values of academic excellence, integrity, and service to others: 鈥淔rom the minute I walked in the door as an undergrad to the day I graduated law school, I felt I belonged at Loyola. I knew I was being prepared for a life of meaning and purpose beyond myself.鈥�
As a lobbyist, Glavin helps clients navigate the legislative and regulatory landscape in industries from sports to health care to energy and more.
The St. Robert Bellarmine Award recognizes a graduate who earned a JD within the past 15 years for distinguished service to the community, to the legal profession, and to the School of Law.
Some children want to be doctors when they grow up. Others want to be teachers or, of course, lawyers. When Matthew Glavin was a kid, he wanted to be exactly what he is now: a lobbyist.
More accurately, he thought he鈥檇 like to be a congressman, but, he says, 鈥淚 quickly realized that you can do a lot without being an elected official. I feel like I鈥檓 doing my best work when I鈥檓 making other people shine.鈥�
As senior principal in the lobbying arm of Cozen O鈥機onnor Public Strategies, Glavin helps clients navigate the legislative and regulatory landscape in industries from sports to health care to energy and more.
His resume also includes a longlist of agencies for which he has volunteered over the years, including Equality Illinois, promoters of LGBTQ+ rights; Juvenile Justice Initiative, advocates for humane treatment of youth in the justice system; and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, a voice for the state鈥檚 businesses.
At first glance, no theme emerges from the list, but Glavin sees it differently.
鈥淓very place [I volunteer] needs help dealing with government鈥攎aybe securing funding or getting bills passed,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat world can seem complex and intimidating, but I know that world well.鈥�
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 doing my best work when I鈥檓 making other people shine.鈥�
When directors at Youth Guidance, a nonprofit agency providing in-school counseling to help teenagers overcome obstacles in their lives, heard rumors that their funding from the City of Chicago might be reduced, they promptly contacted board member Glavin, who was vacationing with his family at Disney World.
鈥淢y kids were spinning around in the teacups while I was reaching out to people in the mayor鈥檚 office to talk about the great work of our organization,鈥� he says.
When the final budget was released, 鈥渋t was clear that the message had been received,鈥� he says.
Glavin, a member of the Law Alumni Board of Governors, says 黑料门played a big role in his journey.
鈥淵ou hear that law school is a brutal, cutthroat environment; my experience at 黑料门was the opposite,鈥� he says. 鈥淧eople helped each other at every opportunity. Success never came at the expense of anyone else. Now that鈥檚 my job: building and maintaining relationships.鈥�
Glavin鈥檚 affection for his class is reflected in his leadership to establish the Bran Harvey Opportunity Scholarship at the School of Law with three of his classmates. Harvey, a classmate, died in 2020 at age 48.
鈥淲e were all close, even though Bran was at a different point in his life. He was a grinder, balancing law school and a busy family life,鈥� says Glavin. 鈥淚 think of him all the time. His zest for life still motivates me.鈥�
Moritz has spent his career as a litigator, mediator, and arbitrator.
The Medal of Excellence honors a member of the School of Law community who exhibits the qualities of character, intellect, and social and professional responsibility that the School of Law fosters.
鈥淥ne of the great benefits a lawyer can provide to our social system is to assist in the resolution of conflict,鈥� says Terry Moritz, who has demonstrated his belief in this principle throughout his 50-plus years as a litigator, mediator, and arbitrator.
Moritz definitively pivoted his career toward alternative dispute resolution in 2014 when he founded Terry F. Moritz LLC. Since then, he has arbitrated more than 200 commercial disputes and guided clients in countless mediations, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Dedication to his craft is evident in his host of notable associations: Moritz is an elected member of the American Law Institute. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, serving as chair of its Chicago chapter. He is a charter member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals and serves on the board of the Resolution Systems Institute. The list goes on.
The School of Law community might know him best from his years as an adjunct professor and as a former member of the Law Alumni Board of Governors. Those engagements were among the most meaningful to him.
鈥淲hat I enjoy most is being involved in the education of young people and creating better opportunities for them,鈥� says Moritz.
Beyond Loyola, he points to several nonprofits that he and his wife, Carol, have supported. Two of their favorites are Big Shoulders Fund, which helps inner-city Catholic schools (Moritz is on the board), and Arrupe College, Loyola鈥檚 associate degree program that helps students graduate with little or no debt.
Moritz says that all of us lose when individuals aren鈥檛 able to maximize their potential. 鈥淲e have far too many young people who don鈥檛 get the opportunity to do that. So, to the extent Carol and I can support organizations that attempt to benefit those students, we want to do that.鈥�
鈥淲hat I enjoy most is being involved in the education of young people and creating better opportunities for them.鈥�
Moritz says he is honored to receive an award from his alma mater, which he admires so much.
鈥淲hen I was teaching at Loyola, I would be on the elevator with students who didn鈥檛 know who I was, and I would see students being very respectful and supportive of one another. It was genuine. It was meaningful and inspiring,鈥� Moritz says.
鈥淭hat is the character of 黑料门that I have witnessed over many, many years. I benefited from it as student and feel I still benefit from it today. I have been a very fortunate person.鈥� 鈥�Liz Miller (July 2023)
From 黑料门Law magazine 2023
Learn how our alumni, faculty, and students drive social change and push for justice. Read the above features from 黑料门Law magazine.
