Illinois LawCast

I Am Ready preps pre-law students for success

As a land-grant institution, the University of Illinois was founded on the idea it should provide education to the people of the state of Illinois, no matter their background or socioeconomic level. In addition, the College of Law's mission includes advancing justice and the public good. To marry these goals, the College of Law and Pre-Law Advising Services created the I Am Ready program, which supports students from any institution in central Illinois to enhance participant success in the law admissions process and the first year of law school. In this episode, Megan Pickens, director of pre-law advising services, and Rebecca Ray, assistant dean of admissions and financial aid, join the podcast to discuss the I Am Ready program. They shared their motivation, details about the program, and information about how students and alumni can be part of I Am Ready. Andrew Johnson, a member of the first I Am Ready cohort and a rising 3L at Illinois Law, also joined the podcast. He shared some of his experience and how I Am Ready has helped set him on a path to a successful law school career. For more information about I Am Ready, including how to apply, visit their website: https://prelaw.illinois.edu/events/annual-programs/i-am-ready/ [https://prelaw.illinois.edu/events/annual-programs/i-am-ready/] You can contact Pre-Law Advising at prelaw@illinois.edu [prelaw@illinois.edu] or Law Admissions at law-admissions@illinois.edu [law-admissions@illinois.edu].

First-Year Experiences

The first year of law school is a unique experience. Though some students may have the option to enroll in pre-law minor, there is no requirement for any specific curriculum to be admitted to law school, which makes the first year a foundational year that can be challenging, surprising, and inspiring in a short period of time. For this episode, we gathered a few talented and intelligent members of the Illinois Law Class of 2028 to discuss their 1L year as it comes to an end. Guests in this episode are Blessing Agyare, Liam Davis, and Darius Johnson, who discussed why they chose to study law at Illinois, what surprised them about their first year, what they'll take with them as they go forward, and more. If you'd like to know more about student life at Illinois Law, please check out our website [https://law.illinois.edu/student-life/]. If you are considering applying, our application is always free [https://law.illinois.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/jd-application/]—no codes required.

Bonus Episode: Professor Jason Mazzone on Trump v. Barbara

In this special bonus episode, Professor Jason Mazzone joins the podcast to discuss the case of Trump v. Barbara, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on April 1, 2026. Mazzone is the Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Director of the Illinois Program in Constitutional Theory, History, and Law. An expert on issues of constitutional structure and institutional design, with a particular focus on relationships between structural arrangements and individual rights, his groundbreaking work on the Constitution of the United States has appeared in dozens of prominent legal journals. He regularly advises, on a pro bono basis, litigants in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and in other courts. The case of Trump v. Barbara centers on Executive Order No. 14,160, issued January 20, 2025, titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” which declared that individuals born in the United States are not U.S. citizens at birth if their parents lack sufficient legal status. The order was issued on the alleged basis that the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause does not confer birthright citizenship on such children because they are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States in the constitutional sense. In this episode, Professor Mazzone explains the background of the case, what his impressions are from the arguments, and why he believes the Executive Order will be invalidated by a large majority. Read Professor Mazzone in the New York Times. [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/us/politics/birthright-citizenship-trump-supreme-court.html]

Jurist in Residence Judge Candace Jackson-Awikumi

This episode examines the College of Law's Jurist in Residence program. Started in 2025, the program brings a member of the judicial branch to campus to teach a class, work with faculty, and be a resource to students. The program, one of only two such initiatives in Illinois, aims to deepen the College’s connections to the bench, inspire students to pursue judicial clerkships, and provide them with the opportunity to learn from leading legal minds. Dean Jamelle Sharpe is the first guest on the episode, and he joined to share a little background on the program and some of his personal experience with the College of Law's 2026 Jurist in Residence. The second guest on the episode is Judge Candace Jackson-Awikumi, who spent time on campus in March as the latest Jurist in Residence. She spoke about her background, how she came to the bench, and what she enjoyed about her time at Illinois Law. About Judge Candace Jackson-Awikumi Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit by President Joseph R. Biden in July 2021. She is the first former public defender to sit on that court, which reviews decisions made by federal courts in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Judge Jackson-Akiwumi received her A.B., with honors, from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was a Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal. She began her legal career as a law clerk to Judge David H. Coar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and Judge Roger L. Gregory of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She then practiced law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and spent a decade as an attorney with the Federal Defender Program for the Northern District of Illinois, Inc., before joining the Washington, D.C., litigation firm Zuckerman Spaeder LLP. Judge Jackson-Akiwumi previously served on the boards of the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, and the Princeton Club of Chicago. During her time as a federal public defender, she taught at national seminars and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. She also served as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Israel and Namibia, a Princeton-in-Asia fellow in Thailand, and an American Inns of Court Temple Bar Scholar in England.

Studying environmental law in Costa Rica

One of Illinois Law's areas of strength is environmental law. We routinely offer core courses such as environmental law, administrative law, and natural resources, as well as advanced environmental electives, such as climate change and sustainable development. Where we go the extra mile, literally, is in innovative environmental courses that offer hands-on teaching. In this episode, Professor Heidi Hurd explains her class, Costa Rica: A Case Study in Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development, a January intersession course that takes students to Costa Rica to learn from politicians and environmentalists and experience the natural world up close. Professor Hurd goes through the history of the class, her favorite memories, and why she feels this course is so important to Illinois Law's environmental law offerings. Also joining the podcast are Josh Rosen, a third-year student, and Sophia Abedi, a second-year student, both of whom traveled with Hurd to Costa Rica this past January. They share their experiences and how the course resonated with them in the present and will continue to make a difference in their careers. For more information about Illinois Law's commitment to environmental law, please visit our website. [https://law.illinois.edu/academics/areas-of-strength/environmental-law/] For more about the Costa Rica course, see the specific course listing. [https://law.illinois.edu/academics/courses/protecting-tropical-treasures-environmental-policy-in-costa-rica/]