Evan McLaughlin receives Chicago-Kent’s 2019 Harold J. and Nancy F. Krent Excellence Award

Evan McLaughlin, a second-year student at Chicago-Kent College of Law at Illinois Institute of Technology, is the recipient of the law school’s 2019 Harold J. and Nancy F. Krent Excellence Award.

“Evan has made the most of his opportunities at Chicago-Kent and is poised for a great career,” says Harold Krent. “He has impressed all with his acuity, discipline, and level-headed approach to legal issues.” 

Krent and his wife, Nancy, a retired partner at the law firm of Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP, established the award in 2013 to recognize the student or students who rank at the top of the combined first-year full-time and second-year part-time classes. The winning students also receive a $2,500 cash award.

“Winning the Krent Award was very gratifying,” says McLaughlin. “Law school is a lot of work, and incentives and awards make it easier to put in that kind of hard work. The coolest part about it was going to lunch with Professor Krent and his wife, Nancy.”

Born and raised in Chicago, McLaughlin earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. During college he was captain of the basketball team and volunteered for the Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Club of the Fox Valley in Appleton, and Habitat for Humanity. 

As part of his course work, he did a lot of reading, writing, and in-depth analysis of political philosophy, policy, and economics. “I enjoyed that kind of work, so I thought law school would be a great place to continue doing that,” he explains. 

A few alumni judges and attorneys he knows went to Chicago-Kent and highly recommended the school. He also liked Chicago-Kent’s three-year legal writing program.  “Aside from that, I really enjoyed the people I met at Chicago-Kent while I was making my decision,” McLaughlin says. “Since then, I’ve met many more interesting, friendly, and personable people here.” 

In between his first and second years of law school, McLaughlin externed for Judge Margaret Brennan of the Cook County Circuit Court. He joined the staff of the Chicago-Kent Law Review in fall 2019. 

In addition to his academic workload and externship work, McLaughlin is a barback at Cork and Kerry, an Irish bar in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood. 

After law school, he’d like to work in private practice in Chicago for a few years. “Beyond that, I don’t have many long-term plans. I’m not sure how often things actually go according to plan, so I want to be flexible and adapt to wherever my career takes me,” he says.