Through a connection with alumnus Brad Nahrstadt ’89, five members of Monmouth College’s pre-law club spent the day in Chicago recently learning about the practice of law. Seniors Benjamin Sauer of Elgin and Kate Fitzsimmons of Galesburg, sophomores Stephanie Arrowsmith of Trivoli and Tim Ellenberg of Galesburg and freshman Olivia Leonard of Naperville, accompanied by political science professor Tobias Gibson, began their day by visiting federal magistrate judge Morton Denlow.
 

Chicago attorney Brad Nahrstadt ’89 arranged the Pre-Law Club's field trip.

Denlow, who presides over a civil and criminal docket in the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, invited the students into his chambers to discuss their interest in law, Denlow’s road to the bench and the types of cases he typically hears. He invited his law clerk to provide the students with some practical advice about succeeding in law school and the best way to go about obtaining a clerkship with a federal judge. Denlow then invited the students to observe his morning court call. At the end of the call, he asked the lawyers who had appeared in front of him to stay and speak to the students.

The Monmouth group then took a tour of the offices of Williams Montgomery & John, a 50-lawyer litigation firm with offices in the Civic Opera Building. While there, they met with Nahrstadt, a partner who specializes in the defense of commercial, product liability and insurance coverage matters. Nahrstadt told the students about the route to his present position and what he does as a litigator. He hosted the group for lunch and arranged for the students to dine with Cathryn Crawford, a professor at Northwestern University School of Law.

In the afternoon, the students spent more than an hour visiting with Judge Jennifer Duncan-Brice, who presides over an individual calendar call in the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago. She told the students about her experiences as a lawyer, her decision to run for election to the bench and the types of cases she handles as a state court judge. She also told the students about a number of the high profile cases she had handled.

“Meeting alumni and obtaining practical information about the ins and outs of different legal professions was the highlight of the trip for me,” said Fitzsimmons. “Sound advice from successful attorneys and judges is invaluable.”

“I really enjoyed going to Brad’s office and seeing what it is like day-to-day in a law firm as large as his,” added Arrowsmith.

This is the second year that Nahrstadt has arranged this type of legal tour for MC students.

“For me, the highlight of the trip was the passion that Brad has for the practice of law and the desire to help his alma mater,” said Gibson, who is in second year of teaching at Monmouth. “The amount of time that Brad spent getting the trip together and taking the day off for us says a great deal about his interest in helping the current generation of MC students. His friendship to the college is inspirational to the students.”