Erika Hamer
Position: Vice Barrister for Event Management
Q. Where are you from, what undergraduate institution did you attend, and what was your major?
A. I hail from the far, far, far south Chicago burbs. However, since my father was in the military, I moved to Virginia in 8th grade. I eventually returned to the Chicagoland area and attended St. Xavier in Chicago, where I majored in political science.
Q. When did you know you wanted to go to law school?
A. After watching NBC’s Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator” and “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde.”
Q. What made you choose The John Marshall Law School?
A. JMLS accepts me for who I am.
Q. What areas of the law interest you the most?
A. Criminal law gets my blood pumping.
Q. What competition/trial teams have you participated on, which one was your favorite and why?
A. I was on the Capitol City Challenge team in Spring of 2010 as well as the ABA Labor and Employment Law team back in the Fall of 2010. While I had the most fun on the Capitol City Challenge, since we were in D.C., I must say the Labor and Employment Law Competition was my favorite since we took 2nd place.
Q. What does it take for a competition/trial team to be successful?
A. Practice, patience, teamwork, and fun.
Q. Where do you currently work and what do you like or dislike about the job?
A. I currently work at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office as well as the Veterans Clinic here at John Marshall. At the State’s Attorney’s office I love going to court every day and being surrounded with talented attorneys, all of whom have such drive and passion for furthering justice.
Q. Who are your role models and why?
A. My mother is one of my role models because no matter the obstacles in her path, she always overcame adversity. My other role model is my grandmother. She had a significant part in my upbringing and without her I would be lost. She was and remains the rock of my family.