The Rising Tide

When Mark Tamvakis ’25 attended the Ilana Diamond Rovner Appellate Advocacy Competition banquet in his first year as a student at Chicago-Kent College of Law, he was struck by the camaraderie and welcoming environment created by the upperclassmen.

“I remember being awed by their affection for one another and the great shared sense of warmth and joy,” he says. “I remember being very excited to form relationships like those in law school.”

Tamvakis has since gone on to become an active member of Chicago-Kent’s Moot Court Honor Society, traveling to Las Vegas and Philadelphia to present oral arguments for the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition, where he earned the regional title alongside his friend and classmate Colin Boysen ’25.

“My portion of the problem focused on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and its potential interaction with a state’s right of publicity statute,” he says. “The entire experience was filled with extraordinary support from friends, colleagues, and professors at Chicago-Kent. It was a fantastic opportunity.”

Tamvakis was originally attracted to Chicago-Kent’s legal writing and intellectual property programs, but he made the most of what the college has to offer in many areas. He conducted First Amendment research with Professor Steven Heyman, externed at the Circuit Court of Cook County, and worked as a summer associate at Sidley Austin. He also led a volunteer group during Chicago-Kent’s 2023 Public Service Day, part of 1L orientation.

“It was extremely gratifying to venture out into the local community with other law students and spend the day at Habitat for Humanity Restore,” he says.

These diverse experiences allowed him to find his niche as a future corporate attorney, where he’ll be able to further develop his skills in complex legal topics.

“Chicago-Kent has empowered me to consider problems from multiple perspectives and understand and articulate opposing arguments,” he says. “I am excited to be in ‘the room where it happens’ and have a voice in the important decision-making that occurs at the corporate level.”

When Tamvakis looks back at his time at Chicago-Kent, he knows that courses and faculty have helped prepare him for his next steps, but he also knows that law school, especially Chicago-Kent, is about more than just the classroom knowledge—it’s also about the people you meet and the experiences you have along the way.

“Chicago-Kent stands out to me as a place where individuals go out of their way to help each other,” he says. “Our community embraced the mentality that ‘a rising tide lifts all boats.’ This support and camaraderie has made it possible to achieve great things together. We all support one another and celebrate each other’s successes. Being part of this community has helped me grow more than I could on my own.”

After Tamvakis graduates, he’s lined up to start full-time at Sidley Austin’s Chicago practice.

“Chicago-Kent has opened a pathway for me into the Chicago legal community,” he says. “It has connected me with wonderful people and provided employment opportunities to do legal work at the highest level.”

A year after his first Rovner competition banquet, Tamvakis returned, this time as a full-fledged team member.

“The great sense of warmth and joy I had witnessed the previous year was only a fraction of the immense celebratory sentiment I was sharing with all my peers,” he says.