The Hon. Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Law Award

Named after the Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz (1925), who served as a senior judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for almost 40 years. The award includes a stipend intended to offset the cost of law school loan repayment for alumni who take lower-paid public interest positions. Alumni working in the public interest sector who have graduated in the last 15 years are eligible. The award recognizes an alumnus/alumna who makes a significant impact in the field of public interest law.

Verónica Cortez ’13

Verónica Cortez is the associate director of policy for Erikson Institute, where she examines the efficacy of existing local and state early childhood policies and serves as a thought partner with other stakeholders, generating strategies and proposing solutions to advance policy and systems change for Illinois’ youngest learners. Cortez also facilitates a fellowship program focused on preparing early childhood leaders to become involved in policy so that those who are most involved in the work can think about the policy solutions needed. 

Cortez began her legal career at the Midwest office of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where she worked on federal litigation and administrative advocacy in the areas of employment, voting rights, education, and immigrant rights. After that, she led the early childhood policy and advocacy work at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and has a bachelor’s in international relations and Hispanic studies from Brown University. She currently serves on the board of directors at Alternatives, Erie Neighborhood House, and the Albert Pick, Jr. Fund.