Laura Chisolm: an advocate and ally.

• Author: Hill, B. Jessie
• Position: Former Case Western Reserve University School of Law professor - Testimonial

I worked with Laura Chisolm primarily in my capacity as Associate Director of the Center for Social Justice, of which she was the founding Director. Yet--as is probably true of many of my colleagues at the law school--I came to know and admire her most as a fellow faculty member, friend, and mentor. I will never forget the many kindnesses from Laura--not least of all the baby gift she sent me after my older daughter was born. It was a beautiful, fuzzy, hand-knit sweater that kept both my older daughter and my younger daughter warm for, literally, years. Where on earth such an accomplished and busy person found time to knit a sweater, I have no idea, but this sort of thing was typical, given Laura's thoughtfulness, her overwhelming kindness, and her capacious talents.

Laura was a reliable advocate and trustworthy friend to her more junior colleagues, and she especially looked out for the other women on the faculty. Though Laura never went looking for a fight, you always knew which side she was on--that was the right side, and usually the side of the more vulnerable party. Though Laura was a warm colleague and a caring teacher, she was also a fierce advocate for women, for her junior colleagues, for students, and for the less fortunate.

I think many people associate me with Laura primarily because of the Center for Social Justice. The Center was a perfect fit for Laura, and she for it. She was extraordinarily energetic and committed as its leader, and among the many tragic aspects of Laura's passing at an early age is that she never got to fully realize her vision for the Center--and we never got a chance to see where it would go under her stewardship. Yet she made her mark, and the Center's work bears many indicia of her vision. Most of all, this is visible in the Center's primary focus on students. As Director, Laura was completely focused on what the Center meant to students and what it could do for them. For example, her expenditure of Center funds could be downright parsimonious, except in spending for students. She wanted to save every available penny for them--in particular to fund student summer public interest fellowships. Under Laura's leadership, I am proud to say, there was a time when nearly every eligible student with a qualifying summer job could receive some funding from the Center.

But Laura's vision stretched beyond enabling students to afford to spend their summer in public interest work; the Center's real mission, as she...