Student Spotlight: Matthew Kelly, Summer Employment

This summer I find myself continuing to work at the same civil litigation firm that has employed me throughout my time as a law student.  It is a small firm and I am the only law student clerking there.  Because of the size of the firm and my direct contact with all of the attorneys and staff, I am afforded a great opportunity to get real experience.  I spend my days working on various cases at the state and federal level and have done everything from researching to drafting to intakes.  I usually end up at court a few times a week, which has really helped me get familiar and comfortable with how things work in practice.

My situation is far from uncommon among my peers.  Just about every student I know at Loyola has found a job, internship, or other summer experience that fits their interests and goals.  It’s great to see the tight-knit culture of Loyola extending beyond the campus, as our students have a major presence in the area.  Even though I work in one of the biggest cities in the country, almost every time I head to court I run into someone I know from class or that I recognize from the halls of the Corboy Law Center.  Whenever I feel like having lunch or grabbing a drink after work, it’s easy to find some friends from school to join me.  Summers are a great time to get a look into what things will be like after law school is complete and I have to say that I am looking forward to joining my fellow students in the legal community once we graduate.

But of course, there’s more to life than work and school and my summer plans definitely reflect that.  I try as much as possible to take advantage of what Chicago has to offer in the summertime.  It’s not unusual for me to head to the beach, enjoy an outdoor bar, and explore a street festival or music festival all in one week.  There is certainly no shortage of activities and nightlife during the summer months when Chicago is most vibrant.

As great as Chicago is, I am also planning to take some time to get away during the summer.  I have weekend trips planned to lake houses in bordering states, I have tickets to out-of-state music festivals, and I will be riding out to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in August.

I have been afforded great opportunities to get experience during the summer while enrolled at Loyola.  Just as importantly, I am also making sure that I take some time to experience everything else that makes summer great because before I know it, I’ll be getting ready to take on my 3L year.

Matthew Kelly, 2L

Matthew Kelly, 3L

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