Family Focus

“Chicago-Kent alumni are steadfast about hiring other Chicago-Kent alumni and students,” says Nicole Papanton ’27. “I got my job at my firm—my dream firm—partly because I met an alumnus at a networking event at Conviser Law Center. He took me for coffee a week later, and I got an interview soon after. I was fast-tracked and hired before the recruiting cycle formally began.”

Papanton works at Schiller DuCanto & Fleck, LLP, one of the largest family law firms in the country, which specializes in high-net worth matters.  She aspires to change the stigma surrounding family law attorneys.

“There is a common misconception that family law attorneys are responsible for breaking families apart, when in reality, families come to us at moments of profound transition, often after relationships have already fractured,” she says. “I believe family law can be a force for healing, accountability, and constructive resolution, helping families move forward rather than further apart.”

When Papanton started at the firm during the summer after her first year at Chicago-Kent, she says she was a step ahead of the law clerks from other schools because she took advantage of Chicago-Kent’s 1L Your Way program, which allows students to work in the school’s clinics during their first year.

“Unlike law clerks from other schools, I had already worked with clients, drafted pleadings, done child support calculations, and researched and written memos for real cases [not just school assignments],” she says. 

Papanton has made the most of her law school experience by joining student organizations. She’s the treasurer and philanthropy chair of the Hellenic Law Student Association, a member of the First-Generation Law Student Association, the social chair for the Women in Law Society, and the 2L representative of the Child and Family Law Society.

“It is easy to lose yourself in the rigor and pressure, but Chicago-Kent encourages you to be a whole person, not just a law student,” she says. “Chicago-Kent gives you the tools to succeed professionally, but it also gives you the space and support to grow personally.”

Chicago-Kent has also awarded Papanton with multiple scholarships. She anticipates, if she continues to work and watch her expenses, that she may be able to graduate debt-free.

“These scholarships completely changed my life,” she says. “Part of why I attended Chicago-Kent is because it was the best school with the highest scholarship amount that I was given.”

While she may already have her dream job, Papanton still has goals to pursue. She strives to be a guardian ad litem so she can advocate for children—people she believes are often overlooked in the legal system.

“Being a guardian ad litem means standing in the gap for children during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives and ensuring their well-being remains the central focus of every decision,” she says. “Through this work, I hope to provide stability, compassion, and meaningful advocacy for children navigating family conflict, helping them feel seen, heard, and protected within the legal system.”