CBA Record

Margaret O’Mara Frossard Uses Mentoring Program to Find Law Graduates Jobs in a Tough Market Retired Justice’s passion for career and professional development is making a mark on law students

A fter a career of more than 30 years in public service working as an assistant Cook County state’s attorney, a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County and a justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, Justice Margaret O’Mara Frossard (ret.) has carved out a new ca- reer path helping students at The John Marshall Law School secure jobs in a challenging market. When Frossard first joined John Marshall’s administration in 2011, she wasted no time in developing a program that gave students the opportunity to learn the importance of professionalism while they were still in school. That same year, John Marshall became the first law school approved by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism to launch the Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mento- ring program. Since the program began, Frossard has paired hundreds of mentors and mentees.

hit the ground running and be practice ready from day one,” Frossard said. “It has been my goal since starting at John Marshall to help students develop their sense of professionalism and engagement during their education. My office works to improve the delivery of services to stu- dents while providing the foundation for professionalism and preparing students to become responsible, dignified mem- bers of the legal community.” In addition to the programs Frossard administers and more than 60 career-re- lated programs offered by the Career Services Office, students complete four semesters of legal writing and research courses in JohnMarshall’s #5 ranked Law- yering Skills Program—one of the most rigorous foundational legal programs in the country. Students then test their skills in one of John Marshall’s Community Le- gal Clinics, a requirement for graduation. “Our students graduate with the skills and knowledge that are making them employable,” Frossard said. “They have talent, excellent writing skills, strong re- search skills and a deep understanding of the law that makes them ready for the job market.” Students and graduates alike confirm Frossard’s impact on John Marshall.

“The help I have received from Judge Frossard has truly been invaluable,” John Marshall graduate Joe Kearney said. “She has served as a mentor and a guide to me during my job search and after. I truly feel fortunate to know her.” As the success of the program contin- ues, five years later, it is clear this success is not just a trend. Frossard has found some- thing special with the Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring program. Using her extensive network of legal professionals, Frossard continues to invite judges, practitioners, alumni and other professionals to serve as guest presenters for John Marshall stu- dents. As a follow-up, Frossard recruits alumni to work toward job placement for recent graduates. “Justice Frossard’s alumni jobs net- work is a perfect example of her commit- ment to connecting people and ideas, in- stilling the importance of professionalism within students and alumni and tirelessly advocating on behalf of John Marshall job-seekers in this tough legal market,” Kearney said. Contact Justice Margaret O’Mara Frossard (ret.), Associate Dean for Professionalism and Career Strategy, to learn more about John Marshall’s practice-ready graduates.

“Our students graduate with the skills and

knowledge that are making them employ-

able,” Frossard said. “They have talent,

excellent writing skills, strong research

skills and a deep understanding of the law

that makes them ready for the job market.”

Frossard typically tries to gear the mentoring sessions towards showing stu- dents how they can develop the skills of a true professional before they begin serv- ing clients. Two important components of Frossard’s work are the Justice Anne Burke Professionalism Series and the In-Classroom Professionalism & Engage- ment Program. “In this job market, students need to

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