Law School Alumni Newsletter Archives
The content presented on this page, though far from exhaustive, is provided with the aim to preserve and promote the Law School's long history of alumni success and the impact created by our members' collective accomplishments and contributions to the Law School and the field of law. This page is a continual work in progress, so page visitors are encouraged to check back for new publications (and the surprises contained therein) and should they feel so moved, to contact us with inspirations as to how best we might reflect this aim in other ways.
To our alumni members, if you are in possession of publications or other ephemera that serves to complete the presentation of our history, please contact us at law-alumni@uic.edu. We'd love to hear more about what you have saved through the years, why you saved it, and to collaborate on ideas and projects that might further reflect the totality of the Law School we all hold so dear.
Alumni Docket (193?-????) Heading link
A recent search of the Law School’s archives unearthed three issues of The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association’s Alumni Docket. At present, little is known about the publication’s run or the organization of its volumes, but interest in these missing details (and the interest is substantial) is overwhelmed by the details available. The earliest issue available below is Volume 4, Issue 3, so its likely Docket saw its first publication in 1937 (or 1938), but readers will more likely be drawn to the other two editions, both of which saw print during World War II.
Note: If any alumni members have copies of volumes not currently available below, please contact us at law-alumni@uic.edu. We’d love to connect and coordinate a way by which to add any missing editions to this collection.
BriefCase (1953-1976) Heading link
Beginning in 1953, the Law School’s Alumni Association published a newsletter under the BriefCase masthead. Many graduates will recognize this as the same name affixed to the more recent printed publications beginning again in 2000. While the Law School’s physical archives contain a complete record of these early publications, beginning with Volume 1, Issue 1 and continuing until the end of printing in mid-1976, the issues below represent an exhaustive collection of what we can currently digitize.
While this early version of BriefCase maintained its general design architecture throughout, the number of issues published per volume and the schedule on which they were released changed throughout its run. We’re in the process of fully researching these developments, but what’s certain is that the number of issues published each year was reduced from its ambitious beginnings to a more manageable six issues per volume.
Note: If any alumni members have copies of volumes not currently available below, please contact us at law-alumni@uic.edu. We’d love to connect and coordinate a way by which to add any missing editions to this collection.
- June, July, August 1954 (Vol. 1, No. 10)
- May, June 1955 (Vol. 2, No. 6)
- January, February 1956 (Vol. 3, No. 4)
- June, July, August 1957 (Vol. 4, No. 6)
- July, August, September 1959 (Vol. 5, No. 5)
- November, December 1960 (Vol. 6, No. 6)
- February, March 1961 (Vol. 7, No. 2)
- July, August 1961 (Vol. 7. No. 4)
- September, October 1966 (Vol. 13, No. 2)
- January, February, March 1967 (Vol. 13, No. 4)
- September, October 1968 (Vol. 15, No. 1)
- January, February 1969 (Vol. 15, No. 3)
- April 1974 (Vol. 20, No. 5)
The John Marshall Law School Alumni News (1977-1985) Heading link
In 1977, the Law School transitioned to a new title with a bold, direct new masthead—The John Marshall Law School Alumni News. Volume 1, Number 1 featured a proud address to its audience, and readers of today won’t have to search long to find a similar graphical approach used again by magazines at the turn of the 21st century. This masthead, however, didn’t last long, and converted by Vol. 1, No. 2 to a more understated, but fanciful, lowercase typesetting of the title. Another departure from the previous iteration of the publication was opting for a semi-regular quarterly printing schedule. In addition to masthead changes, page counts varied. By 1983, under the professed leadership of a publicly acknowledged editorial staff, the magazine increased to a full 20 pages.
Note: If any alumni members have copies of the 1977-1985 JMLS Alumni News era not currently available below, please contact us at law-alumni@uic.edu. We’d love to connect and coordinate a way by which to add any missing editions to this collection. And we’re sure the Law School’s archivist would be equally obliged.
- December 1977 (Vol. 1, No. 1)
- April 1978 (Vol. 1, No. 2)
- October 1978 (Vol. 1, No. 3)
- December 1978 (Vol. 1, No. 4)
- Spring 1979 (Vol. 2, No. 1)
- Summer 1979 (Vol. 2, No. 2)
- Fall 1979 (Vol. 2, No. 3)
- January 1980 (Vol. 3, No. 1)
- May 1980 (Vol. 3, No. 2)
- September 1980 (Vol. 3, No. 3)
- February 1981 (Vol. 4, No. 1)
- Unmarked (Fall 1981)
- Spring/Summer 1982 (Vol. 5, No. 1)
- Spring 1983 (Vol. 6, No. 1)
- Summer 1983 (Vol. 6, No. 2)
- Winter 1983 (Vol. 7, No. 1)
- Spring 1984 (Vol. 7, No. 2)
- Spring 1985 (Vol. 8, No. 1)
Alumni News (1986-1993) Heading link
By Autumn 1986, the Law School’s alumni publication had tracked further toward a more-traditional news format and adopted the abridged Alumni News handle (though the Law School’s word mark remained prominently on the cover before it was replaced by the Law School’s seal in the early 90s).
During the Alumni News era, the content tended more to news reporting and squibs than editorial writing. At this time, the publishing schedule settled into quarterly delivery and volume/issue numeration was dropped from formal use. It was also during this iteration of the publication that the former “Class of…,” a section aggregating updates on alumni promotions and other accolades, was relabeled “Class Notes,” a convention the Law School has maintained since.
Note: If any alumni members have copies of the 1986-1993 Alumni News era not currently available below, please contact us at law-alumni@uic.edu. We’d love to connect and coordinate a way by which to add any missing editions to this collection. And we’re sure the Law School’s archivist would be equally obliged.