P.A.D. Spotlight Archives
May 30, 2013 - Spotlight on Chicago Alumni Chapter’s New Justice
By Kim Voichescu (Story Chapter)
The Chicago Alumni Chapter recently elected a new Justice for the upcoming 2013 term. Justice Deidre Baumann enthusiastically took the helm of the Chapter from departing Justice Pierre Priestly.
Sister Deidre joined the ranks of P.A.D. in 2009 and continues to actively support our fraternity through various functions and events. She recently successfully organized the 2012 Hon. Mary Ann G. McMorrow Service to the Profession Award event given by the Chicago Alumni Chapter. The event took place at the Hotel Intercontinental, featured a guest appearance by the late Sister McMorrow, and included attorneys, law students and other members of the legal community in attendance.
Since 2001, Sister Deidre has been a partner at Baumann & Shuldiner, a Chicago Loop civil litigation practice. She has been practicing law since 1992 and has worked on a wide variety of matters, ranging from bankruptcy and personal injury to criminal law defense and employment issues. Sister Deidre is especially passionate about constitutionally protected expression and civil rights. She obtained her J.D. from University of Illinois College of Law where she received the Rickert Award for Excellence in Public Service and was a member of the Civil Rights Moot Court Team. She had been admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Illinois, United States District Court (Northern District of Illinois and Eastern District of Wisconsin), and United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Her success as an attorney will help guide her as she strives to achieve her goal of a judgeship in the future.
Additionally, she provides mentoring support and guidance to several law students. Sister Deidre has worked tirelessly to build her personal success through hard work and an affinity for the advocate’s role and believes it is important to pay it forward for other aspiring legal professionals. Her dedication to her clients, law students and to the organizations she is involved with is inspiring and we look forward to good things from her in the coming year.
P.A.D. is honored to call Deidre a sister. We congratulate her on her new position and look forward to a year of commitment and contribution. Her understanding of the vision of Phi Alpha Delta will give her the tools needed for a successful year as the 2013 Justice for the Chicago Alumni Chapter.
May 8, 2013 - Spotlight on Prutha S. Patel (Florida International University Pre-Law)
P.A.D. Represents for Fansite of ABC’s Hit Show, Once Upon A Time
By Erica Gyimesi, P.A.D. Spring 2013 Intern
ABC’s hit show, Once Upon A Time (OUAT), is giving one lucky P.A.D. member the opportunity of a lifetime. Prutha S. Patel, a recent graduate of Florida International University and P.A.D. pre-law member, will be participating in “EnchantaCon,” a celebrity convention with cast members of OUAT and fan discussion panel. The discussion panel will be held in Orlando, Florida from November 22-24.
Starring Jennifer Morrison and Jared Gilmore, the show gives fans a glimpse of what life would be like if fairytale characters were living in a modern day society.
In her spare time, Patel co-runs a OUAT fan site called once-storybrooke.net. The website is a way for the show’s fans to connect and interact. Through her involvement with the site, she came across the fan panel event. “We recently found out EnchantaCon was happening and right away it seemed like a magical event (pun absolutely intended),” Patel joked. After discovering the event, she emailed the organizing committee. The committee then reviewed her website and liked what they saw, so they invited Patel to host a panel of their own.
By participating in the fan panel, Patel hopes to gain both personal and professional experiences. “[The fan panel] will allow us to talk about the things we have already done [with the website] and what we aspire to do in terms of future projects,” she explained. “We hope to use it as a platform through which we can hold charity events and projects.”
As for professional experiences, Patel aspires to be an entertainment lawyer. In the fall, she will be attending Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. Although the specific advantages of the panel are not apparent at the moment, she feels as though this experience may be able to help her during her career in some way.“I know that no matter what, experiences like these will shape not just the attorney, but the type of person I become,” Patel explained. “[Regardless] I hope to be able make Phi Alpha Delta, my friends and my family very proud.”
Apart from her upcoming trip to EnchantaCon, Patel has had contact with the cast of OUAT before. Her position on the website’s executive board gives her the opportunity to interview many of the cast members. “So far I have been able to interview Robert Carlyle (Rumpelstiltskin), Michael Coleman (Happy), Tim Phillipps (Prince Thomas), Mark Isham (Music Composer) and Michael Joy (Production Designer),” she explained. Past interviews can be found on the once-storybrooke site.
Due to the high costs of travel, Patel has been working on fundraising for the trip. To support her in her efforts, donations can be made at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/once-storybrooke-net-to-enchantacon Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Patel will certainly be making waves in P.A.D. in the years to come.