Internships, Hands-On Legal Training Acquired Through UIC Law Programming Leads Spring 2026 Valedictorian Towards Impactful Work in Restorative Justice
Claree Brunn
“UIC Law is the school that first sparked my interest [in restorative justice work], and it has been incredible in developing my practical skills through the lawyering skills program,” said Clare Brunn, valedictorian for the Spring Class of 2026.
The diversity of courses, and UIC Law’s unique experiential learning opportunities is what brought Clare to UIC Law. Though she initially entered law school intending to practice criminal law, her exposure to civil impact litigation and restorative justice practices helped to reshape her legal interests.
Coupling her experience as the Co-Chief of the UIC Law Moot Court Honors Program and the Executive Lead Articles Editor for the UIC Law Review, Clare acknowledged how far she has come in her research and writing skills, crediting the law school with teaching her how to write and think like a lawyer.
“The ability to compete on a team [through Moot Court] helped me with my writing and research skills. More than that, Moot Court gave me the confidence I’ll need to be successful in the courtroom,” Clare said.
In addition to developing sharp litigation skills, Clare gained keen alternative dispute resolution skills through the law school’s Restorative Justice Program (RJP). Through the RJP, Clare was able to introduce restorative justice practices and peace circles to students at the Union League Boys and Girls Club.
“[In RJP] we talk a lot about disparities, specifically in Chicago, that cause people to be justice-impacted and how restorative justice can help prevent crime and reduces recidivism compared to the traditional criminal justice system and learn from the lawyers and other community partners bringing restorative justice to life in our community” Clare said.
Within her first year of law school, Clare gained hands-on experience in three practice areas as an intern at Uptown People Law Center. She worked in the prisoners’ right sector, where she worked on class actions on behalf of incarcerated individuals in Illinois who were fighting for fair access to health and mental health services. Clare also helped individuals file Just Housing Amendment complaints with the Cook County Commission on Human Rights, seeking to combat discrimination based on one’s criminal background, and helped incarcerated individuals navigate the Social Security application system to secure their benefits upon release from prison.
“One of the things that I really appreciated [at Uptown] was the opportunity to work with the pre-lease program,” she said. “We went into the prisons and interviewed people who are just a few months from being released and helped them get set up with benefits so that they have some form of income on their first day out.” It was in these prison visits that Clare developed her passion for working with justice-impacted individuals.
By her 2L2 year, Clare was able to further her interests at Romanucci and Blandin, LLC, working in their Civil Rights, Wrongful Convictions, and and then with their Sex Abuse departments. Here, she was able to utilize the legal writing and research skills she acquired at UIC Law to complete first drafts of motions and briefs, research and write memos for her supervising attorneys, and perform discovery review. “I have been able to touch so much of what goes into litigation. I’ve learned to anticipate
Clare hopes to continue her efforts of advancing restorative justice post-commencement.
“ This work is not what I intended but more than I could have ever imagined,” she concluded.