Executive Board

David Freedman is a day division student in his third year at Chicago-Kent and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Chicago-Kent Law Review. He has diverse professional and academic interests in areas including estates and trusts and talmudic law, and worked this past summer for Lindsay, Rappaport and Postel, L.L.C., a Chicago firm specializing in insurance coverage and defense. He has also worked as a legislative aid for Chicago City Council Alderman Edward Burke, Chairman of the Committee of Finance.

David graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelors of Arts in history in 2007. At Maryland he was given the award for Highest Academic Achievement at his graduation and won second prize in the university’s Undergraduate History Journal for his essay on Ethiopian Jewry. In 2003 he spent the year abroad in Sha’alvim, Israel, where he studied Talmudic and Biblical law. David now resides in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood with his wife, Chammie. He’s an avid blogger, video editor, and a Chicago sport fan, but spends most of his time either working on the Law Review or cleaning his saltwater aquarium.

Ilana Bamberger is a day division student in her third year at Chicago Kent and serves as the Managing Editor of the Chicago-Kent Law Review. She received her undergraduate degree in Finance, Investment and Banking from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2006. At the University of Wisconsin, she served as co-president of Beta Gamma Sigma, the business school honor society, and was named a UW Business Scholar, a four year academic scholarship honors program offered to ten incoming freshman students each year.

After undergrad, Ilana worked for Lehman Brothers in New York City as an analyst in the area of CMBS- Securitization. Since, she has worked as a judicial extern for Federal Magistrate Arlander Keys and is currently a summer associate at Ungaretti & Harris, L.L.P. She is interested in corporate, securities, banking and health law. In her free time, Ilana likes to play golf, do yoga, and watch reality television shows.

Brian Kaunelis is a night division student in his third year at Chicago-Kent. Brian serves as the Executive Notes and Comments editor of the Chicago-Kent Law Review, in charge of running the Law Review Summer Candidacy program and overseeing the student note writing process for first-time law review members. His own note, Securing Global Trademark Exceptions: Why the United States Should Negotiate Mandatory Exceptions Into Future International Bilateral Agreements, was recently selected by the Chicago-Kent Law Review for publication and will appear in one of our upcoming symposiums.

Brian has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and is currently employed at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago as a mechanical engineer. Outside of work and school, Brian enjoys running, cycling, and traveling.

Michael Borella is an evening division student in his third year. Prior to attending Chicago-Kent, he received BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees, all in Computer Science, from Clarkson University and the University of California. Michael has also worked in the high tech industry for 15 years at companies such as IBM, 3Com, and UTStarcom. Most recently, he was Vice President of Engineering at Fastmobile, a Chicago-area venture-backed startup that was sold to Research in Motion in 2007. He also was an adjunct professor at Northwestern University for 8 years, teaching in their Masters in Information Technology program. He currently works at McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert and Berghoff, an intellectual property law firm, as a patent agent.

Michael’s interests in law include intellectual property, technology law, and children’s rights. At Chicago-Kent, aside from Law Review, he has been a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. Outside of school and work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, biking, running, weightlifting, listening to music, and reading.

Ryan Gibson is a day division student at Chicago-Kent in his third year. He graduated magna cum laude from Valparaiso University in nearby Valparaiso, Indiana with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with majors in Finance and Economics. He was awarded the Laube Award for most outstanding Finance student, and was a member of several honor societies including Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honor society. He was elected twice to the Valparaiso University Student Senate and also served a term on the Senate’s Executive Board.

Ryan currently works in the civil litigation department of the Chicago law firm of Wiedner & McAuliffe, Ltd. Previously, he was a summer Judicial Extern for the Hon. Allen S. Goldberg of the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. He is primarily interested in business areas of the law, including securities regulation, contracts, and corporate litigation. Outside of law school, he is interested in biking, home-brewing, following the St. Louis Cardinals, and listening to dusty second-hand records.

Sarah Kaplan is a day division student in her third year at Chicago-Kent. She is a Kent Legal Scholar and won CALI awards in both Contracts and Evidence. In addition to her position on the Law Review, she was the teaching assistant for Professor Baker’s property course in Spring 2009. Sarah has also externed for the Honorable Judge Michael Gallagher of the Illinois Appellate Court, and most recently interned with the United States Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, in Philadelphia.

Sarah graduated from Princeton University, with an A.B. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, as well as a certificate in Women and Gender Studies. Outside of law school she enjoys going from place to place and vacationing by bicycle.

Adam Kreis is a day-division student in his third year at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Before law school, Adam worked for over two years as a legal assistant at a boutique immigration law firm. Prior to that, he worked for the Newberry Library and for a small professional choir. Since starting law school, Adam has worked as an extern for U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys, a research assistant for Professor David Gerber, and is currently a summer associate at Jenner & Block, L.L.P. During the 2009-2010 school year, Adam will serve as a teaching assistant for Professor Melinda Dickler’s first year legal research and writing class.

Adam graduated summa cum laude from Drake University with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in music. He earned his master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago, where he focused his research on the history of U.S. foreign policy. Outside of law school, Adam enjoys sailing, playing music, and exploring the restaurants and attractions of Chicago.

Jeff Mikrut is a day division student in his third year at Chicago-Kent. He is interested in Intellectual Property law, and has received CALI awards in Property, Patent Law, Trademarks & Unfair Competition, and Practice Before the Federal Circuit. He was also on the Giles Sutherland Rich Moot Court team for Chicago-Kent in the spring of 2009. The team participated in the Midwest Regional and finished in the top 8 teams. Jeff has worked for the Chicago firm Coplan & Crane, L.L.C., and is currently a summer associate at Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, L.L.P.

Jeff graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. Outside of law school, he enjoys home-brewing with friends as part of the fictional “Unreasonable Man Brewing Company.” He can also be found running, working on cars, going to Notre Dame Football games, or just hanging out.

Carolyn Sorock is a day division student in her third year at Chicago-Kent and serves as an Executive Article Editor for the Law Review. Carolyn’s note, Closing the Gap Legislatively: Consequences of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, was recently selected by the Chicago-Kent Law Review for publication and will appear in one of our upcoming symposiums. She shares interest in a variety of areas of the law, and has in the past externed for Judge Allen Goldberg in the commercial division of the Cook County Circuit Court. Currently she is clerking for a commercial law practitioner.

Before attending law school, Carolyn studied Music and English at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Outside of law school, she is an amateur clarinetist and serves on the Overture Council of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Whenever possible, she does work in the bath.

Elizabeth Thompson is a day division student in her third year at Chicago-Kent, and serves as an Executive Article Editor for the Law Review.  Elizabeth earned her bachelors degree from DePauw University, majoring in English.  She has externed for Judge Lee Preston in the commercial calendar of the Circuit Court of Cook County and is currently working as a summer associate at Winston & Strawn, L.L.P.

Outside of law school, Elizabeth enjoys reading and watching television, particularly The Office, one of two shows worth watching on NBC.

Rue Toland is a day division student in her third year at Chicago-Kent. Rue graduated from the University of Chicago in 2006, with a double concentration in Classical Languages and Literatures and Medieval Studies. Prior to attending law school at Chicago-Kent, she worked as a research associate at the Chicago office of Stax, Inc., a management strategy consulting firm. At Chicago-Kent, Rue has served as a research assistant for Prof. Steven J. Heyman and text edited the recently published casebook Labor Law in the Contemporary Workplace for Prof. Martin Malin and his associates in The Labor Law Group.

Rue is also the recipient of two CALI awards for academic excellence at Chicago-Kent. In addition, her note No Tax for “Phantom Income”: How Congress Failed to Encourage Responsible Housing Consumption with its Recent Tax Legislation, was recently selected by the Chicago-Kent Law Review for publication and will appear in one of our upcoming symposiums. She is currently working as a summer associate at Mayer Brown, where she explored bankruptcy, finance, and other transactional practice areas. Outside of law school, Rue knits socks, sweaters, hats, and scarves—enough to clothe an entire Law Review.

Ben Wilensky is a day division student in his third year at Chicago-Kent. He is a 2005 graduate of Michigan State University, with degrees in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy, and Urban and Regional Planning. Prior to enrolling in law school, he spent three years working in Washington, D.C. as a legislative aide for two U.S. Senators. He is primarily interested in transportation and land use law, and hopes to practice in either of those fields following graduation.

Outside of school, Ben enjoys cheering on his beloved Michigan State Spartans and Detroit Tigers (but is well aware of the White Sox’s dominance.)