Allison K. Bethel
Director, Fair Housing Legal Clinic; Clinical Professor of Law
Contact
Building & Room:
J-110C
Address:
300 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60604
Office Phone:
Email:
CV Download:
Related Sites:
About
Professor Allison K. Bethel joined the Law School in 2008 as a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Fair Housing Legal Clinic. She is a Chicago native and received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her law degree from the University of Florida. While in law school, she received numerous awards for advocacy, including a Best Oralist Award, Best Brief Award, the Presidential Recognition Award, and was inducted into the Order of Barristers.
Following law school, she worked in the private sector in Florida, specializing in civil trial work. In 1996, she joined the Florida Attorney General’s Office and was promoted to Director of Civil Rights for the Office in 2000. In that capacity, she supervised the development and litigation of civil rights cases with a focus on housing and racial justice issues, legislative initiatives, and training programs throughout the State of Florida. Since entering academia, she has taught, lectured, and written nationally on fair housing while litigating cases with clinical students. She is passionate about housing justice and preparing the next generation for the challenges in housing justice.
Professor Bethel is AV rated, which is the highest rating a lawyer may receive by the Martindale-Hubbell rating system. She is the Past Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and was recently appointed to the Delivery of Legal Services Committee by the President of the ISBA. Other leadership positions include service as President of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association, Chair of the Legal Education and Competence Committee of the ISBA, Co-Chair of the Clinical Section of the American Association of Law Schools, and service as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar. She was honored for her community engagement and service to the law school in 2017.