Mary McDonnell
Legal Writing Instructor
B.A., University of Iowa
J.D., Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Mary McDonnell teaches legal writing, advocacy, and lawyering skills courses. She also contributes to the Academic Success Program. Prior to her academic career, Professor McDonnell served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, primarily prosecuting cases involving United States Postal Service employees. Her experience also includes her position as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she handled vertical prosecutions of law enforcement misconduct cases. She began her legal career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, focusing on DUI, traffic, and general misdemeanor cases. Professor McDonnell’s teaching experience includes legal writing and research at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and Santa Clara University School of Law, as well as transactional drafting at DePaul University College of Law. She is admitted to the Illinois Bar and is a member of the Legal Writing Institute.
Tracy Simmons
Legal Writing Instructor
B.A., Ball State University
J.D., The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
Tracy Simmons teaches Legal Writing I and II and assists with the Academic Success Program. Before joining the faculty at NIU College of Law, she taught Legal Research and Writing and Civil Litigation at Wilbur Wright College and Social Work and the Law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She also served as a career advisor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. In addition to her experience in legal education, Professor Simmons worked as a Legal Content Manager at Illinois Legal Aid Online, where she drafted and edited plain-language legal resources. Professor Simmons started her career as an Equal Justice Works Fellow and attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Columbus.
