The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is pleased to announce the names of the 14 Fellows selected to participate in the 2021 Rural Practice Fellowship Program, which is designed to meet the critical need of providing access to justice for those living in rural areas with a declining lawyer population.

“We were extremely pleased with the overwhelming response to this program from throughout the state of Illinois,” said ISBA President Dennis J. Orsey. “The demand far exceeded our first-year expectations.”

The ISBA Special Committee on the Rural Practice Initiative created two fellowship programs to address the issue.

The Rural Practice Summer Fellows Program connects law students with rural practitioners to give them experience working in rural communities before they leave law school. The program includes a $5,000 fellowship stipend and mentoring.

The Rural Practice Associate Fellows Program places graduating law students and new attorneys as permanent associates with rural practitioners. The program includes a $5,000 stipend at the beginning of employment, and an additional $5,000 stipend if the associate is still working for the same firm after one year.

2021 Summer Fellows:

• Fellow: Jacquelin Pulak (Northern Illinois University College of Law)
  Firm: Berger Law Firm, LLC, Byron, Illinois (Ogle County)
• Fellow: Alex Pullen (University of Illinois College of Law)
  Firm: McGrath Law Office, P.C., Mackinaw, Illinois (Tazewell County)
• Fellow: Emily Wiedeman (Loyola University Chicago School of Law)
  Firm: Heller, Holmes & Associates, P.C., Mattoon, Illinois (Coles County)
• Fellow: Avery Lubbes (Saint Louis University School of Law)
  Firm: Stumpf & Gutknecht, P.C., Columbia, Illinois (Monroe County)

2021 Associate Fellows:

• Fellow: Paul Loss Dunham (University of Illinois)
  Firm: Becker Law Office, Genoa, Illinois (DeKalb County)
• Fellow: Glenn Hoskin (Loyola University Chicago)
  Firm: Tobin & Ramon, Belvidere, Illinois (Boone County)
• Fellow: Tristyn Criswell (Northern Illinois University)
  Firm: The Cosentino Law Firm, St. Charles, Illinois (DeKalb County)
• Fellow: Staci Vazquez (Northern Illinois University)
  Firm: Malmquist, Geiger & Durkee LLC, Morris, Illinois (Grundy County)
• Fellow: Elizabeth Reynolds (Southern Illinois University)
  Firm: Jacob J. Frost, Attorney at Law, Spring Valley, Illinois (Bureau County)
• Fellow: Tiffany Ketchum (Southern Illinois University)
  Firm: Vawter Law Ltd., Macomb, Illinois (McDonough County)
• Fellow: Megan Ryan (University of Mississippi)
  Firm: Rammelkamp Bradney, P.C., Jacksonville, Illinois (Morgan County)
• Fellow: Jacob Schlosser (Saint Louis University)
  Firm: Woods & Bates, P.C., Lincoln, Illinois (Logan County)
• Fellow: Edward Siemer (Saint Louis University)
  Firm: McDevitt, Osteen, Chojnicki & Deters, LLC, Effingham, Illinois (Effingham County)
• Fellow: Parker Louis Seely (Saint Louis University)
  Firm: Bigham, Tanner & Foster, Pinckneyville, Illinois (Perry County)