Jumpstart administration (L-R): Stephanie Villinski, Deputy Director, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism; Tania Luma, Assistant Dean, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, Loyola Chicago School of Law; Martin Sinclair, Chair, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism; Dean Jennifer L. Rosato Perea, DePaul University College of Law; Karen Alicia Shaw, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Accreditation, Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing, Loyola University Chicago College of Law; Samantha Woo, Interim Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; Marsha Ross-Jackson, Assistant Dean, Chicago-Kent College of Law; Justice Rena Van Tine, First District Appellate Court; Erika Harold, Executive Director, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism; Susan Landrum, Dean of Students and Assistant Dean of Academic Administration, University of Illinois College of Law; Alex Bolden, Associate, Jones Day; Julia Roundtree Livingston, DEI Manager, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism; Erin McGinley, Of Counsel, Jones Day; Elsa Andrianifahanana, Partner, Jones Day . Courtesy photo In Illinois, 91 1Ls will now be better prepared to start law school after they participated in Jumpstart, a program of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.Ann Claire Williams, a retired U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois and current of counsel at Jones Day, created Jumpstart—a pre-law school preparatory program for first-generation law students and those from communities that are historically underrepresented in the legal profession—in the early 2000s, according to 2Civility's announcement."In my life prior to the law, I was a teacher in inner-city public schools. I've always loved teaching and a teacher is what I truly am at my core," Williams said in a statement. "When I developed Jumpstart, my goal was to teach students who may not have been exposed to the legal profession how to build successful and meaningful law school experiences.""I wanted to introduce these students to the people and structures that I wish I would have been aware of when entering law school," Williams continued. "I look forward to this program every year and thank our wonderful collaborators and exceptional law students for making it happen."The Jumpstart program is an annual preparation program designed to help Chicago-area law students "develop the academic and inter-personal skills to navigate law school and become successful legal professionals," according to the website for Just the Beginning (JTB), a pipeline organization under Williams' leadership.Students who attended the three-day virtual event earlier this month came from all nine law schools in the state, which administer Jumpstart, according to 2Civility's website.Of the nine law deans in Illinois, eight are female, one of which is Latina, and four are Black female deans—more than any other state.California comes in second for number of female law deans—seven—two of whom are Black and one of whom is Latina, according to Rosenblatt's Deans Database.The Illinois schools and deans include: Chicago-Kent College of Law (Dean Anita K. Krug); DePaul University College of Law (Dean Jennifer L. Rosato Perea); Loyola University Chicago School of Law (Dean Michèle Alexandre); Northern Illinois University College of Law (Dean Cassandra Hill); Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (Dean Hari M. Osofsky); Southern Illinois University School of Law (Dean Camille Davidson); University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (Dean Nicola "Nicky" Boothe); University of Illinois College of Law (Interim Dean Verity Winship); and University of Chicago Law School (Dean Thomas J. Miles)."Their dynamic paths and approaches to leadership demonstrate how legal organizations can better reflect and represent the communities they seek to serve and how leaders can shepherd and shape institutions through periods of unprecedented change," according to 2Civility.The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, which coordinates the Jumpstart program, has been involved with it since 2013, serving as program coordinator since 2018.The Commission on Professionalism is known as 2Civility—the "2" referring to fostering transformation—and "Civility" denoting the application of ethics that "bind us together and encourage a productive exchange of perspectives that advance the ideals of the legal profession," according to its website.The commission's mission includes using education to promote the ideals of professionalism in the legal and judicial systems, according to 2civility.org, which also states, "We believe lawyers and judges who embody the principles of professionalism will administer more equitable, efficient, and effective justice for the people of Illinois."Jumpstart exposes students to the structure and expectations of law school with topics ranging from how to "Write Like a Lawyer" to "Thinking Ahead to Your Legal Career" with students also meeting in small group breakout sessions to discuss topics like note-taking and outlining, networking, managing work-life balance, developing a growth mindset, mentoring and how to pursue development opportunities like internships and externships, according to the announcement and a spokesperson from the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.Additionally, students have the opportunity to interact with federal and Illinois justices and judges, law clerks, Jumpstart alumni and other law school professionals who lead and participate in the sessions, according to the spokesperson.This year, a reception, hosted by Jones Day in Chicago, included the following speakers: Justice Rena Van Tine, Illinois First District Appellate Court; Elsa Andrianifahanana, partner at Jones Day; Martin Sinclair, Chair of the Commission on Professionalism; and Erika Harold, Executive Director of the Commission on Professionalism."To build trust in the justice system, it is important that lawyers and judges look like the communities they serve," Julia Roundtree Livingston, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion manager at the Commission on Professionalism, said in a statement. "Programs like Jumpstart support a more inclusive legal profession."