IIT Chicago-Kent student Kendra L. Kutko awarded the 2011 Sandra P. Zemm Labor Law Prize

Kendra Kutko, a third-year student at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, has been awarded the 2011 Sandra P. Zemm Labor Law Prize. The prize was established in 2009 at Chicago-Kent by the law firm of Seyfarth Shaw LLP to honor the memory of Sandra P. Zemm, who died in September 2008 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

The Sandra P. Zemm Labor Law Prize is awarded annually to a third-year Chicago-Kent student in the Labor and Employment Law Certificate Program who exemplifies the qualities that Ms. Zemm possessed: "a commitment to pursue a career in labor and employment law, a pioneer spirit and willingness to take the initiative whenever possible, and a gracious and generous attitude toward helping those in need." Recipients are selected by Chicago-Kent faculty who teach the law school's program in labor and employment law.

"Kendra is a poised young lady who will do great things in the labor and employment field," said Francine Soliunas, assistant dean for strategy and student professional development and executive director of the Institute for Law and the Workplace at Chicago-Kent College of Law. "She truly epitomizes the spirit and legacy of Ms. Zemm, not only in what she has done but in the graciousness with which she has done it! She is a remarkable young woman and will truly be an asset to our profession."

Kendra Kutko earned a bachelor of science in legal studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kutko currently serves as a law clerk with the Case Law Firm LLC, a woman-owned, woman-run civil rights employment law firm in Chicago. In the fall of 2010, she received an Institute for Law and the Workplace scholarship. Kutko has worked on labor and employment law matters as an intern in Chicago-Kent's Employment Discrimination Clinic and as a clerk in the Law Offices of Laurie J. Wasserman. She has also served as an intern with Addis Greenberg & Schultz LLC. Kutko is a member of Chicago-Kent's Labor and Employment Law Society, the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law and the National Employment Lawyers Association - Illinois.

A Chicago native, Sandra P. Zemm earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois. She received her J.D. from Florida State University, where she served as managing editor of the law review.

Sandra Zemm joined Seyfarth Shaw in 1975 as the first female associate in the Labor and Employment practice. In 1982, Ms. Zemm became the firm's first female equity partner in Labor and Employment. Her practice concentrated on traditional labor matters, and on matters involving employment discrimination, wage-hour, and employment litigation. She negotiated collective bargaining and/or shutdown agreements with major labor unions, and represented management in more than 200 hearings before arbitrators, the National Labor Relations Board and various state labor agencies. In 2002, Ms. Zemm was elected to the American College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

"Sandy was beloved by her colleagues and clients and respected by her opponents. She was a no-nonsense labor lawyer and an elegant, sophisticated woman at the same time. Her ability to stand up to the toughest adversaries while always carrying herself with style and grace inspired many of us who came to the firm after her," said Allegra Rich, Pro Bono and Philanthropy Partner at Seyfarth Shaw. "This award is our way of keeping her in our thoughts and honoring her legacy."

Seyfarth Shaw has over 750 attorneys located in 10 offices throughout the United States, including: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as internationally in London. Seyfarth Shaw provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, corporate, and real estate. The firm's practice reflects virtually every industry and segment of the country's business and social fabric. Clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, newspapers and other media, hotels, health care organizations, airlines and railroads. The firm also represents a number of federal, state and local governmental and educational entities.

Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, a private, Ph.D.-granting university with more than 7,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. With more than 1,100 students, Chicago-Kent offers full-time and part-time J.D. and LL.M. degree programs as well as joint-degree programs with other IIT units. Chicago-Kent's Program in Labor and Employment Law allows students to specialize in the law governing the workplace.