(Left to right) Terry McCollum – ESGR Area Chair, Ron Bacci – State Chair for ESGR, 1LT LACY, Jodie, Alex Baird – Principle Deputy Director for ESGR, and Major General Kendall Penn
It is because of the strong support John Marshall has given to those employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve that the law school was honored at the Illinois ESGR Annual Employer Awards Banquet in Springfield the evening of January 24, 2014. This is the second award John Marshall has received in a year from the Illinois ESGR with Assistant Dean Jodie Needham being awarded the Patriot Award this past fall.
The Patriot Award recognizes supervisors and bosses who show support for a Guardsman or Reservist employee. Needham was nominated by Daniel Lacy, a Reservist, who serves as the assistant director for the Academic Achievement Program at John Marshall. Lacy first heard about the Illinois ESGR when he was in basic training.
“I nominated Jodie because she was in constant contact with me and she even checked in on my wife while I was away this past year,” said Lacy. “Even when I got back, Jodie never had any problems with me having to take a day off for medical work, or because I was on duty, and she always made sure there was someone to replace me without penalty when I was gone.”
It was because of Lacy’s first nomination of his supervisor that the Illinois ESGR started looking at John Marshall as a possible nominee for a second award given to employers and organizations as a whole. John Marshall was eventually selected to be a recipient of its own award for the 2013-2014 year. Lacy and Needham attended the awards banquet in Springfield, IL and accepted on behalf of John Marshall.
John Marshall has a long standing tradition of honoring and working with service members through its Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic (VLSC). In 2006, three John Marshall law students recognized that many veterans were having trouble navigating the Veterans Benefits Administration claims process and were inspired to provide legal assistant to such veterans.
Now in its eighth year, the VLSC has a new home located at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Plymouth Court in downtown Chicago. The space is specifically designed to accommodate veterans and those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The VLSC serves our nation’s veterans by providing free legal services and resources, including assistance with health care and mental health benefits, family law issues, housing matters, and employment and education issues.