CBA Record Feb-March 2015

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Special Issue l THE NEWYLS
Nielsen Career
Consulting
Career Counseling
For Attorneys
Strategies and support for
your career in or out of the
law
• 30 Years of Experience
• Over 3500 Clients
Sheila Nielsen, MSW, JD
The Park Monroe
65 E. Monroe St., Ste. 4301
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 340-4433
CBA RECORD 37
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.
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
to download the nomination form.