CBA Record

Special Issue l THE NEWYLS

YLS Seeking Liber ty Bell Award Nominations Due April 10 Nominate a candidate for the Liberty Bell Award by Friday. This award recognizes a nonlawyer who has rendered service that strengthens the effectiveness of the American systemof freedom under law. Visit www.chicagobar.org/lawweek to download the nomination form.

the owner and talent behind Haj Designs, 77 East Van Buren Street, Chicago. Haj Designs works with professionals through- out the Chicago area and the country to design custom suits and looks to comple- ment and promote their clients’ image and professional presence. Haj works with several high-profile clients and projects, but also donates his time, speaking and working with students and young profes- sionals of all economic backgrounds. He was enthusiastic about donating the time and services of his staff to show students how to dress professionally and how to carry and present themselves to prospective employers and colleagues. Haj and his team also donated suits for the event and helped with selection and fitting. The third phase of Suits for Success was the Mock Interview Workshop held on November 22, 2014, with students participating in mock interviews at the CBA. Approximately 25 attorney and law student volunteers and 30 Cristo Rey students participated in the four-hour event. The morning started with a warm welcome from Paul Ochmanek, followed by Haj Gueye’s presentation on profession- alism. After the presentation, the students switched into two groups, alternating between participation in suit selection and two mock interviews. The first Suits for Success event ended with a group of students who felt motivated by and enthusiastic about the feedback,

skills and attire they acquired, and with volunteers who had been rewarded by having spent their time throughout the past months making connections with high school students and empowering them to succeed in the next stages of their profes- sional and academic lives. Special thanks to the attorneys and law students, Matthew Howeth, Yana Karnaukhov, Trisha Rich, Jeff Koh, Matthew A. Reddy, Lindsay Smith, David J. Stein, Rachel McLaughlin, Caitlin Ajax, Octavio Duran, Kathryn Liss, Maital Savin, Elisabeth Gavin, Lindsay Margolis, Sheida Ahmadzedeh and Paul Ochmanek, who helped us review resumes. Many of these volunteers also donated suits to the project and were among the participants in the mock interview and suit selection portions of the project, along with Michael Cklamovski, Margaret Bingle, Ermias Abebe, David Baez and about 15 volunteers through Cabrini Green Legal Aid organized by Jill Roberts. This multi-stage project proved chal- lenging at times, but with the support of Paul Ochmanek, Jennifer Bertolino, Nerissa Bona, Haj Gueye and all of the generous people willing to donate their time and suits, we accomplished our goal of providing Cristo Rey students with the intended professional “makeover” opportu- nity for their resumes, interview skills and wardrobes. I found this project incredibly rewarding and am excited to see it grow in the coming years.

Nielsen Career Consulting

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The Park Monroe 65 E. Monroe St., Ste. 4301 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 340-4433 www.nielsencareerconsulting.com

CBA RECORD 37