First-Generation Student Ends Law School Career with 3 Completed Externships, Within Top 30% of Her Class, and a Promising Job Offer
Maryah Person
“UIC Law offers a lot of great resources to ensure we are efficient and well suited to enter the workforce,” said recent Spring 2026 graduate Maryah Person.
First working as a paralegal in the Chicago Board of Trade building, Person was inspired to advance her career with a JD from UIC Law after connecting with alumni from the school who had been successful in trademark law, an area a part of entertainment law that she has been interested in pursuing since she was 13 years old.
“It was very helpful having alumni surrounded in the Chicago area. I enjoyed going to a school that was so well known. I could enter a space and someone has either gone here or heard about us,” she said.
As a first-generation law student on both sides of her family, Person admits that the road to law school was not easy, reflecting on having to take the LSAT three times. Yet her determination allowed her to remain resilient and raise her score by 17 points, allowing her access into the JD program at UIC Law. Once she entered the building, she began making connections that allowed her to see immediate impact.
During her first semester of law school, Person connected with the Association of Corporate Counsel where she was able to establish an externship with Kone Elevators & Escalators of Greater Chicago. She spent 10-weeks inside of an in-house corporation, an opportunity she describes as “an exceptional experience,” as first-year attorneys are typically not allowed in that space.
During her 2L year, Person externed with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office in the domestic violence division. After obtaining her 711 license, she gained experience working on jury trials and court calls. By her 3L year, Person moved into the judiciary space, externing under Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy Cunningham. This experience opened the doors to a plethora of networking opportunities, allowing her to meet other prominent members in the legal field and attend important legal ceremonies like the installation of Justice P. Scott Neville and the swearing-in ceremonies of other justices and public defenders.
Person credits UIC Law’s writing program, supportive alumni, and the mentorship from faculty and staff for adding to her success in law school.
“Something invaluable that the law school has offered me is strengthening my legal writing ability,” she said, noting having received compliments from some of the biggest names in the legal industry on how confident and well-prepared she is to prepare legal documents. “The staff also offered a lot of great mentorship that I have been able to take heed to in all of my endeavors.”
Now, ending her law school career having served on the executive board for the Black Law Students Association, First-Generation Law Student Society, Women’s Law Caucus, Entertainment Law Society, law student committee co-chair for the Black Women Lawyers Association, affiliations with the Chicago Bar and Cook County Bar Associations, a mentor for current law students, and at the top 30% of her class, Person’s story is a masterclass on how remain triumphant when given access and opportunity.
“All of this showed me that even if you are first-generation and don’t have the conversations at the house, or at the table, or in even in the room, you can still graduate and go into a large sector and really still have those opportunities available to you,” she said.
Person has accepted a position with Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in their insurance litigation department post-commencement.