may also affect the safety of personnel and national
security. So being on the prosecution side has
given me insight into the second- and third-order
effects of a case.â
șÚÁÏĂĆlaid the
groundwork
Many military alums say șÚÁÏĂĆgave them a
solid grounding for their current work, not just in
the classroom and clinical advocacy education they
received, but also in Loyolaâs emphasis on serving
othersâa mission thatâs consonant with their goals
while wearing the uniform.
âBecause I hadnât spent much time litigating
as an associate at a firm, I didnât have a complete
appreciation for the quality of the advocacy
instruction Iâd received at șÚÁÏĂĆuntil I got into
the Army,â says Kantwill. âBecoming a judge
advocate opened my eyes to how well Iâd been
trained at Loyola.â
Cherry adds, âIn everything from preparing a
case to making an opening statement to making
closing arguments, șÚÁÏĂĆprepared me.â
âI loved that șÚÁÏĂĆemphasizes giving back,â
says Williams, who is married to US Air Force
Chaplain Christian Williams. âIt doesnât say, âGive
back to the people who never made a mistake.â It
says, âGive back.â Sometimes Iâm challenged morally
when defending cases, especially serious crimes. But
everyone deserves competent counsel and needs to
know they can bounce back, too, with rehabilitation.
FORCES FOR JUSTICE
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10)
âMany of my clients are very young, enlisted
straight out of high school, and are making
mistakes as they go. Being able to serve as a
mentor and role model to my clients is an
opportunity I might not have had as much of
in the private sector.â
High-profile work
With so much of the US militaryâs activities in
the public eye, șÚÁÏĂĆjudge advocates often find
their work in the national and international news.
As a prosecutor at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas,
Williams helped prosecute the case of Captain
Michael Fontana, a nurse accused of intentionally
giving elderly, terminally ill patients lethal doses of
medication. (He was acquitted, andWilliams
says she believes âultimately justice was done.â)
In 2006-07, Pottinger was in Mosul, Iraq, as
part of highly publicized efforts to train Iraqi
forces in the rule of law. âThat was something
they canât prepare you for in law school; you just
have to do it,â Pottinger recalls. âIt was about
building relationships, building trust, and coming
to a common understanding of what we could
do together to bring back a valid, reliable court
system in Iraq. It was a very rewarding experience
I wouldnât trade for anything, and it helped me get
well outside my comfort zone as an American.â
Kantwill is a Department of Defense
expert on the financial industry and the
effects its services and productsâincluding
mortgage foreclosures, enforcement actions,
consumer law, and the Military Lending Actâ
have upon military members. He frequently
testifies before Senate and House committees
advocating for efforts to better protect
servicemembers in the financial marketplace,
telling the Senate Committee on Banking,
Housing, and Urban Affairs in a June 2012
hearing, âFinancial readiness of servicemembers
and their families is essential to their well-being
and ability to contribute to the mission.â
Seeing the world
Judge advocates who receive foreign
assignments get the additional benefit of
absorbing new cultures. âOur kids got to live in
small German towns, go to German schools, and
play on German soccer teams,â says Kantwill, who
had assignments in WĂŒrzburg, Nuremberg, and
Katterbach. âIt was a unique cultural experience
they value to this day.â
âBeing in Europe is an amazing experienceâ
and itâs not all work,â says Pariza, whose apartment
in downtown WĂŒrzburg is right across the street
from a Franconian palace.
Travel to cities and countries near an
overseas assignment is another perk. âIâve had
the opportunity to take several trips,â says Cherry,
âincluding one to Dubai in the United Arab
Emirates and another to Muscat, Oman. I loved
them both for different reasons. Thereâs a lot of
history here in the Middle East, and seeing the
evolution of these societies is really interesting.â
âWe get, at a minimum, one four-day
weekend a month that doesnât count against
vacation days, so I travel extensively,â says
Pariza, whose recent trips have included Estonia,
Finland, and Spain.
Staying the course
The benefits, expected and unexpected,
of life in the JAG Corps make lifelong
converts of many who never expected to
make a career of it. Williams, who never saw
herself in the military until she joined, now canât
imagine herself out of it. âIâd really like to be
a military judge,â she says. âI love being in the
courtroom, and since a judge brought me into
the Corps, I think that would be a good way to
close the circle.â
Cherry says making a career of military
service isâdefinitely an option. Iâve loved it
so far and am excited about my follow-on orders.
As strange as it may seem, itâs easy to become
accustomed to and comfortable with the
military lifestyle. You know youâre doing
important work; you know youâll get to travel
and have job security. And, because you change
assignments every couple of years, you know
youâll get to try new jobs.
âSometimes the job and location are
demanding, especially with all thatâs going on
in the world right now,â adds Cherry. âItâs not
always easyâitâs a sacrifice at timesâbut itâs
definitely worthwhile.â
â
His garrisonâs
âin-house counselâ
Captain Geoffrey
Pariza (JD â11)
US Army, Administrative Law
Attorney, Garrison Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt, Germany
âșâ¶Äș
Captain Geoffrey Pariza balanced law
school with his Illinois Army National Guard
dutiesâand returned to full-time Army life
as a judge advocate.
Captain
Patrick Farrell
US Army National Guard,
Second-year șÚÁÏĂĆlaw student
Chicago
Army analyst/
law student
Captain Patrick Farrell
spoke at the Hawaii governorâs office on the occasion of his commander, Gary Hara, being promoted to two-star general.
FALL 2013
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LOYOLA LAW
