Few individuals are as dedicated to Illinois as Kelly. A double Illini, graduating with an undergraduate degree in integrative biology in 2002 and JD in 2005, she began her career at the College of Law right after taking the bar exam, serving initially as Assistant Director of Academic and Student Administration. Over the past twenty years, Kelly has continued her work with students, leading to her most recent position as Senior Director of Academic Administration and Student Records.

Known to students for her work in academic counseling and an always friendly presence in the Law Building, Kelly will be able to increase her interaction with students as the leader of the student services team. She has a strong commitment to helping make Illinois more than just a place to earn a degree and is eager to foster success in the student body in her new role.

“I am committed to supporting every student’s academic, professional, and personal growth,” she said. “Our student services team will be engaged with the vibrant student community to help foster belonging, leadership, and connection across diverse backgrounds and interests. Students won’t just study law here—they’ll find their people and their path.”

Evident by her tenure at the College of Law, Kelly has deep affection for the University of Illinois and the surrounding community, where she has proudly raised her family. We are very fortunate to have her as our new Dean of Students and look forward to seeing the great things Dean Salefski will help our students accomplish.

The Law and Society Association Annual Meeting took place in Chicago, Illinois, on May 22–25, 2025, and featured a number of College of Law faculty and JSD students as presenters. Illinois Law professors presenting included Kenworthey Bilz, Bob Lawless, Jennifer Robbennolt, and Verity Winship; affiliated faculty presenting included Jose Atiles and Anna Marshall; and JSD students presenting included Thallyta Cavoli, Elsa Zawedde, and Qiaoyuan Zhi. Among others at the conference affiliated with Illinois were Vanessa Villanueva Collao, JSD ’24; Catherine Grosso, visiting assistant professor from 2005-’08; Dara Purvis, visiting assistant professor from 2010-’13; and So Young Park, JD ’21. The 2025 meeting explored questions central to control and compassion related to the human body, ranging from reproductive justice and LGBTQ equality to disability rights and the death penalty.

“We are excited to welcome a record-breaking number of employers to our Honor Roll this year,” noted Greg Miarecki, the College’s Executive Assistant Dean for Career Planning and Professional Development. “And we are especially gratified to have longtime Honor Roll members from across the profession enhancing their standings this year – this reflects strong and continuing demand for our outstanding graduates,” Miarecki added. 

Diamond
Heyl Royster
Jones Day
Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Platinum
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Chapman and Cutler LLP
Circuit Court of Cook County
Husch Blackwell LLP
Jackson Lewis P.C.
Jenner & Block LLP
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
McDermott Will & Emery
McGuireWoods LLP
Meyer Capel
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service
Reed Smith LLP
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
The Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender
Thompson Coburn LLP
Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP

Gold
Cook County Public Guardian
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Deloitte Tax LLP
Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC
Dykema
Greenberg Traurig
Illinois Office of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor
Mayer Brown LLP
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Office of the State Appellate Defender
Polsinelli
Quarles & Brady LLP
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
University of Illinois – Office of University Counsel
Vedder Price P.C.

Silver
Ancel Glink, P.C.
Beermann LLP  
Benesch
Brennan Burtker LLC
Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C.
Del Galdo Law Group, LLC
Dickinson Wright PLLC
DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Fidelity National Financial, Inc.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Fox Rothschild LLP
Hall Prangle & Schoonveld, LLC
Ice Miller LLP
Johnson & Bell, Ltd.
K&L Gates LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP
LG Electronics
Littler Mendelson P.C.
Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy LLC
National Labor Relations Board
Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry
Office of the Illinois Attorney General
Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office
Rakoczy Molino Mazzochi Siwik LLP
Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP
U.S. Army JAG Corps
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
Venable LLP

The complete list of Honor Roll employers, along with the methodology for selecting employers, can be found at www.law.illinois.edu/careers/employer-honor-roll.

Read the full article online.

Miguel Zaldivar is a partner and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Hogan Lovells, responsible for the firm’s overall global direction and strategic leadership. He became CEO in July 2020 and is one of only a handful of Latino leaders of any major global law firm.

Under Miguel’s leadership, Hogan Lovells has achieved record financial results. In 2025, the firm achieved nearly US$3 billion in global revenue, charting steady growth year-on-year. In recent years, Hogan Lovells has also strengthened its investments in top-tier legal talent, sector leadership, and critical advancements in AI.

As a practicing lawyer, Miguel is widely recognized as a leading lawyer in complex international cross-border transactions and has facilitated multi-billion dollar investments and transactions totaling in excess of US$75 billion across the world. Successful negotiation and execution of deals in highly-regulated markets continues to be a core practice for the firm and a key driver of growth

Miguel taught the “Project Development and Finance in Latin America” course at the University of Miami School of Law from 2003 to 2010, was a professor of law at Universidad Católica in Venezuela from 1991 to 1993 and has been a frequent lecturer at legal seminars.

Miguel is committed to the firm’s philanthropic activities, including leading on the firm’s work with not-for-profit charity Santa Marta Group, which is focused on eradicating human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Under Miguel’s leadership, Hogan Lovells also joined forced with the international charity WaterAid in a three-year partnership to support water, sanitation, and hygiene projects across the world.

He is passionate about collaboration, actively listening to clients’ needs, and mentoring lawyers to build enduring relationships. Pro bono work, community engagement, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture where all lawyers can thrive are among Miguel’s top priorities. He has championed efforts to support the development and advancement of the firm’s lawyers from all backgrounds.

Before becoming CEO, he served as Regional Chief Executive for the Asia, Pacific Middle East region. He had been a member of the Global Board of Directors, served as Co-leader of the Infrastructure, Energy, Resources and Projects practice area and co-founded Hogan Lovells’ Latin American Practice.

Miguel earned his LLM at the University of Illinois College of Law and his JD at University of Miami School of Law.

For more information about Convocation for the Class of 2025, please visit our website.

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Read the full article online.

Read her full interview on the Illinois News Bureau site.

“The 2023-2024 Employer Honor Roll is an impressive and diverse collection of employers,” noted Greg Miarecki, the College’s Executive Assistant Dean for Career Planning and Professional Development. “We are excited to continue working with our Honor Roll employers and all of our employer partners in this dynamic and challenging recruiting environment,” Miarecki added.

Diamond
Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Platinum
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office 
Deloitte Tax LLP
Heyl Royster Voelker & Allen, P.C.
Jones Day 
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
Meyer Capel 
Sidley Austin LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP 

Gold
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Chapman and Cutler
Circuit Court of Cook County
CNA Insurance
Dykema
Husch Blackwell LLP
Illinois Office of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor
Lavelle Law, Ltd.
Locke Lord LLP
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service
Polsinelli PC
Reed Smith LLP
Thompson Coburn LLP
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
University of Illinois – Office of University Counsel

Silver
Ancel Glink, P.C. *
Army JAG
Benesch
Brennan Burtker LLC *
Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C.
Dickinson Wright PLLC *
Duncan Law Group *
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Ginsberg Jacobs LLC
Hinkhouse Williams Walsh LLP
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Hourglass Legal Consulting
Ice Miller, LLP
Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District
Jenner & Block LLP
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA)
LG Electronics *
Littler Mendelson
Mayer Brown LLP
McGuireWoods LLP
Office of the State Appellate Defender
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Thomas Mamer, LLP
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana *
Vedder Price P.C.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LLP

Asterisks denote employers that are new or returning to the Employer Honor Roll. The complete list of Honor Roll employers, along with the methodology for selecting employers, can be found at www.law.illinois.edu/careers/employer-honor-roll.

“It gives me a chance to tell a lot of great stories,” he said with a laugh. “I believe that storytelling is the fundamental way to share experiences and lessons learned and, because I’ve seen some exciting and interesting and fun things, I have the opportunity to bring those to life for the students.”

Exciting, interesting, and fun might undersell the experiences that Strautmanis has had in his career. One story he is most excited to share details about is how he was chosen as the lawyer supporting the nascent democracy in Kosovo at the end of the war in that country, just a short five years after graduating from Illinois Law. Strautmanis’ experience also includes campaign work and a prominent role in the Obama White House, a stint as a Vice President within the Walt Disney Company, and his current role as Executive Vice President at the Obama Foundation.

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“I try to use these stories to humanize myself because I want the students to see that somebody who sat in the chairs that they’re sitting in can do a range of really interesting things,” he added.

The Leader in Residence program is part of the College of Law’s Leadership Project, which is designed to promote leadership education among College of Law students through a variety of lectures, book talks, and classes focused on leadership principles. Students who complete a prescribed number of these activities, and attend a capstone half-day retreat in April, earn the title “Leadership Scholar”; 15 College of Law alumni have earned this distinction thus far.

As Leader in Residence, Strautmanis spent the week of February 19 in Champaign. During his time on campus, he hosted a lunch-and-learn event with the American Constitutional Society, led a Leadership Project book talk on Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why,” taught a session of the College’s required 1L Fundamentals of Legal Practice class, and led a week-long course, Law 792 – “Lawyers as Leaders.” The course provided students with examples of different leadership styles, and how they could develop and apply their skills to claim their own style. With guest speakers such as Eric Holder, former attorney general of the United States, and Sarada Peri, whom Strautmanis called “one of the best speechwriters in the business,” students got to hear the stories that helped shape these high-ranking leaders within their respective fields and beyond.

“I learned here at the University of Illinois that being a lawyer was a noble calling. I learned that we had a responsibility to this society, and I took an oath when I passed the bar that was dedicated to the Constitution and the values that underpin our democratic society,” Strautmanis said. “I believe that lawyers have the opportunity to choose to be intentional about how they use that information, that knowledge, that power. And in making those choices we have the opportunity to be leaders and we should explore what kind of leaders we want to be.”

As an undergraduate student at Illinois, Strautmanis always had an interest in attending law school. However, it wasn’t until he visited the College of Law Building that his interest quickly turned into a real option for him. It was a place where he felt seen by fellow Black students who helped address his questions, and he remembers being warmly welcomed by the faculty and staff. He says Illinois Law found him and, as a result, was the only school he applied to, though perhaps it didn’t hurt that his future wife was also pursuing a graduate degree on campus.

During his time here, Strautmanis says he “wasn’t that great of a student.” Though he made the dean’s list one semester, he left feeling like Illinois was not going to play a large role in his future. As he progressed through his career, however, the ways Illinois had shaped him became clearer.

“I have often found myself in rooms engaging with people who went to Harvard and other Ivy League schools and I always took that as an opportunity to show them that, you know, a kid who went to law school at the University of Illinois was also fully equipped to go toe-to-toe with them,” Strautmanis said. “I’ve come to realize just how meaningful my experience had been here. So I consider it a bit of a miracle that I’m back with the title of professor.”

Being back on campus, Strautmanis says he sees a level of enthusiasm and passion among the students and faculty that matches or even exceeds what he remembers from his time as a student. In particular, he noted the work done by Professor Suja Thomas as an example of how individual passion—in her case, regarding the right to trial by jury—can be incredibly inspiring. Likewise, he has found the students themselves to be a source of encouragement.

“These students, they know how the world works,” he said. “I’m really impressed how much they’re grappling with the same challenges that I’m faced with.”

The challenges that Strautmanis has faced in his work, in both private companies and in public service, are not exactly what he had in mind while he was studying at Illinois. However, he says the College of Law gave him the tools he needed to excel in areas such as foreign aid, legislation, community organizing, and expanding equity and inclusion. Now, as an adjunct professor, he can share what he’s learned and help shape the next generation of leaders—and they’re already making an impression.

“My time here has been pretty rich and engaging because, frankly, I thought I needed to meet the students where they were and they’re kind of meeting me where I’m at,” Strautmanis said. “I would encourage alumni to take a trip to Champaign and see what the students are doing here.”