Connection Made Through Alumni Mentorship Program Leads to Legal Externship with #1 Ranked Hospital
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Sadie Embser was able to establish a legal externship with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, ranked #1 Hospital by U.S. News and World Reports, thanks to connections made through the Alumni Mentorship Program at UIC Law. The mentorship program, spearheaded by the law school’s Career Services Office, matched law students with alumni in their desired fields of interest and encouraged networking and career exploration.
“I don’t have any immediate family in the legal field, so having a mentor available to ask questions and check in on my classes meant a lot,” Sadie said.
Through their interactions, Sadie’s mentor made her aware of the available position and encouraged her to apply. Using the skills acquired from her studies at the law school, specifically speaking Contracts I and II, Sadie was able to secure the externship and joined the Offices of General Counsel & Corporate Compliance.
Her day-to-day consisted of general contract upkeep, providing guidance and responses to legal questions, managing vendor contracts, researching state laws and CMS requirements, and monitoring and adhering to any new or changing legislation and its effect on the hospital’s current contracts. Sadie also worked on contract amendments and renewals and got a chance to sit in on deposition prep sessions.
The contracts primarily related to the dynamics in various health topics and the law, a concept she is no stranger to as a board member for the student-led Health Law Society (HLS) at UIC Law. Sadie’s experience as a congenital amputee, coupled with the knowledge acquired from a bioethics class that studied the ethical practice of biology, medicine, and new technology, fueled her passion to further explore the intersectionality of health and the law.
“Given my personal experiences and having to attend occupational therapy, I feel like I have a deeper understanding of the significance of having these conversations and talking about the ethical dilemma with modern day research and patient care in general,” Sadie said.
A thesis paper written on disability studies piqued her interest in the American Disabilities Act, which opened her horizons to learn more about the legal sector.
Now in her 2L year at UIC Law, Sadie is President of the Scribes organization, a member of the Women’s Law Caucus and the Corporate Law Society, and a competitor with the Trial Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Honors Program. As a HLS board member, Sadie hopes to expose students to more versatility in the field, other than working in a hospital.
“I believe there are a lot of applicable skills [in health law] you can acquire that can be used universally,” she concluded.