As the Assistant Dean for Career Services at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Maureen Kieffer has worked to cultivate awareness and interest in public service work among countless law students and has spearheaded new initiatives to support them in their careers. She has been praised for her empathy, compassion, and deep knowledge about legal aid and pro bono work.
As a teacher, Maureen’s passion for social justice comes through in the Public Interest Law Seminar that she co-teaches, and in her involvement with the law school’s externship program. Maureen also designed and teaches the capstone course for the law school’s online Children’s Law and Policy course, a two-year program aimed at providing child-serving professionals with an understanding of the legal system and how it impacts children and families.
As a career services professional, Maureen is sensitive to the logistical and financial challenges of pursuing public interest careers. She was instrumental in the development of the school’s post-graduate public interest fellowship program, which offers financial support to recent graduates searching for legal aid positions. Maureen has also chaired several committees, including the Chicago Area Law School Consortium’s public interest committee and Loyola’s Loan Repayment Assistant Plan committee. Maureen has become an expert in loan forgiveness, understanding that many young attorneys cannot afford public interest careers without it, and has helped many law students navigate and understand its complexities. Maureen also serves on the board of directors of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI).
Maureen stands out as a truly effective advocate, both for public service and for the students at Loyola. Her dedication to social justice is obvious to her colleagues and law students, as is her compassion and empathy. As one colleague writes, “Maureen’s remarkable ability to simultaneously support, mentor, and motivate others has made her an invaluable member of the Loyola and larger public interest and pro bono communities.”