Dr. Lisa Sharpe, a third-year law student, was published this summer in the June 2022 issue of DuPage County Bar Briefs. Her article, “Emotional Distress Damages in Illinois Civil Rights Cases,” analyzes the Illinois Appellate Court’s approach to pure emotional distress damages in their recent decision regarding transgender rights, Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. v. Sommerville, 2021 IL App (2d) 190362. Lisa credits NIU Law Professor Emeritus Jeffrey Parness, who served as a mentor and advisor for this article.
Lisa is currently a 711 Public Interest Law Fellow and the Jerome Mirza Memorial Fellow at Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, where she works in the areas of eviction and foreclosure defense, family law, elder abuse, and denial of public benefits. She has continued her work at Land of Lincoln this the fall rotating through different areas of legal aid. She enjoys bankruptcy – a field she never thought would interest her but is now endlessly fascinating after assisting in ongoing litigation research regarding the intersection of bankruptcy and denial of public benefits.
Lisa spent over two decades as a professor of digital media, graphic design, and film/video before entering law school at NIU. Prior to law school, her scholarly interests included history of typography and the interrelationship of design, architecture, and fine art in the post WWI era. Although she originally thought she would pursue a career in law and the arts, an internship with the Center for Disability and Elder Law in Chicago inspired a passion for legal aid. Her goal is to work in legal aid and her passion is legal research.
