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Exploring different practice paths

Exploring different practice paths

Second-year Loyola law student Amber Carpenter is a Philip H. Corboy Fellow in Trial Advocacy, president of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), and a member of the Loyola Consumer Law Review. “What I like best about Loyola is the many opportunities it’s given me,” she says.

ON CHOOSING LOYOLA: Carpenter realized how much she valued Chicago-area family and friends during her four years at the University of Iowa, where she earned a BS degree in biology. She focused her law school search on Chicago. “When I came to Loyola for my first visit, I absolutely fell in love,” she says. “The friendly and helpful atmosphere gave me the family environment I was looking for in a law school.”

PI LAW/IP LAW: Carpenter’s areas of interest include public interest law and intellectual property law. “A career in public interest law will allow me to continue to fight for justice, and intellectual property combines my interest and background in science with the law,” she says.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN ADVOCACY: Last fall, Carpenter competed at Georgetown Law’s White Collar Crime Invitational, where her team advanced to semifinals. “Through my Corboy fellowship, I’ve sharpened my public speaking skills, learned the fundamentals of trial advocacy, and benefited from hands-on experience with the Federal Rules of Evidence,” she says.

CREATING A NETWORK: Loyola connected Carpenter with the Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program (DAPP), a nonprofit that supports women of color through law school. “With the help of this program, I was able to secure a summer associate position at Marshall Gerstein LLP, a Chicago IP firm,” Carpenter says. Through her work with BLSA, “I now have a network of black lawyers throughout the country and have strengthened my own leadership skills,” she adds.

FAVORITE PROF: “You can see the passion Professor Cynthia Ho has for the law through her lesson plans and lectures,” Carpenter says. “She meets with her students to get to know them, and has taken personal time out of her schedule to ensure I understood certain topics—she’s guided me toward a career in IP.”