Posted by The Chicago Bar Association is pleased to celebrate 2022 Women’s History Month which commemorates and encourages the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history. As a part of the celebration, the CBA is profiling a diverse group of women lawyers and judges who share their personal stories, their perspectives on how to thrive within the profession, their advice for women entering the profession and their predictions for the future. For a full list of the CBA’s Women’s History Month events and programs, visit the CBA’s website here: Women’s History Month (chicagobar.org).
Below is our featured interview with Kathryn Liss, the Executive Director of the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center and Assistant Dean & Director of Law Career Services at DePaul University College of Law.
What is the most important lesson you have learned during your legal career about how to thrive in the profession?
You cannot thrive without others helping you and you helping others along the way. We need to all lift each other up to succeed.
What do you believe are the most important attributes of a leader in the legal profession?
Compassion, selflessness, and morality.
Please provide an example of a person, or a quotation that inspires you. Explain why you are inspired by that person or quotation.
Malala Yousafzai Malik’s passion and strength to fight for female education when girls were banned from school in Pakistan is an inspiration to always stand up for what you believe in by using your voice and actions.
Biography
Kathryn C. Liss (Katie) is the Assistant Dean of Law Career Services and Executive Director of the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center at DePaul University College of Law. She received her J.D. degree from DePaul University College of Law and B.S. from Miami University (Ohio). Prior to her current position, Katie practiced solely in domestic relations for over ten years. Katie remains actively involved in the Chicago Bar Association and currently serves as the CBA Secretary and Co-Chair of the Alliance for Women. She served previously as the Past-Chair of the CBA’s Young Lawyers Section and founded the CBA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Committee as well as the CBA’s Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Assault. Katie also is a founding member of FLASH and mentors undergraduate pre-law students through Miami University’s Pre-Law Alumni Advisory Board.