Laurie A. Silvestri has taught legal writing at Chicago-Kent since 1996, eventually becoming the acting supervisor and then director of the upper-level division of the law school’s Legal Research and Writing Program. The upper-level division includes Legal Writing III and Legal Writing IV as well as its equivalency class. The classes are required. They are taught primarily by adjunct instructors. The director is responsible for the hiring, training, and support of the adjunct instructors. She serves as their point of contact with Chicago-Kent, fielding questions on policy and administration. She reviews their syllabi, approves student grades, and reviews student evaluations. Additionally, she schedules the writing classes each semester, and she hires, trains, and supports the teaching assistant for the upper-level legal writing classes. She also coordinates class presentations by Chicago-Kent's research librarians and Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law representatives.
Professor Silvestri received the Student Bar Association's award for Adjunct Professor of the Year for 2022-23.
Professor Silvestri served as a mentor for Chicago-Kent's Solo and Small Practice Incubator Program, which matches alumni looking to start their own firms with experienced practitioners.
Since 1994, Professor Silvestri has been the principal of the Law Offices of Laurie A. Silvestri, where she practices commercial litigation and general practice. Her prior legal experience includes working for private local law firms, the Illinois Appellate Court of the Second District, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She is a member of the Legal Writing Institute and serves on various committees at the Chicago Bar Association. Professor Silvestri graduated from Chicago-Kent with honors in 1986. She earned a bachelor's degree in behavioral science at the University of Chicago, where she acts as class correspondent for their alumni magazine and participates in the Taking the Next Step alumni law roundtable program.
Education
J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law
B.A., University of Chicago