Patrick Milott '12 receives Sandra P. Zemm Labor Law Prize

Patrick Milott '12 has been awarded the 2012 Sandra P. Zemm Labor Law Prize. The prize was established in 2009 at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law 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 IIT 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 IIT Chicago-Kent faculty who teach the law school's program in labor and employment law.

"Patrick has amply demonstrated a commitment to a career in labor and employment law, a pioneer spirit, and concern for those in need," said Professor Mary Rose Strubbe, assistant director of the Institute for Law and the Workplace at IIT Chicago-Kent.

Patrick Milott earned his undergraduate degree with honors from Illinois State University, where he majored in philosophy with a minor in sociology. At IIT Chicago-Kent, Milott completed internships with the United States Navy, the Illinois Department of Labor, and the Illinois Governor's General Counsel's Office. He served as a researcher for NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, completed an externship with the Honorable Charles Winkler of the Cook County Circuit Court, and clerked for the Chicago law firm of Asher, Gittler & D'Alba and for Gunty & McCarthy, also in Chicago.

Milott was also a member of the Labor and Employment Trial Team that represented the law school in the 2012 ABA Labor and Employment Law regional competition. He is the author of "Avoiding Corporate Liability Under International Law in Labor Disputes" for Employment Law Update (Aspen Publishers 2011), edited by IIT Chicago-Kent Professor Henry H. Perritt, Jr. In May 2012, Milott received his J.D. with a certificate in Labor and Employment Law.

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."

IIT 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, IIT 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. IIT Chicago-Kent's Program in Labor and Employment Law allows students to specialize in the law governing the workplace. 

Seyfarth Shaw has over 800 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.