Skye Allen

• Recognized for exceptional ability to analyze and interpret complex criminal records of several thousand pages
• Developed effective legal theories and strategies that contributed to exercising the right to appeal criminal convictions
• Demonstrated expert legal research by identifying precedent-setting cases relevant to appeals of weapons possession, DUI, and criminal sexual abuse convictions
• Drafted, revised, and submitted comprehensive appeals to the Appellate Court in a timely manner, protecting clients' right to appeal

Defended low-income clients charged with child abuse or neglect by DCFS and/or State's Attorney in investigations, negotiations with DCFS Legal, administrative appeals and review actions, foster care removals, and Juvenile Court.

• Managed client intake by conducting thorough assessments to determine legal needs and establish case priorities
• Established affordable rates and payment plans, enabling traditionally underrepresented client populations to secure representation in the earliest possible stages of child welfare prosecutions
• Created and maintained case files using legal management software to ensure accurate documentation, critical communication, and timely representation
• Conducted legal research to prepare cases, utilizing online databases and expert contacts to explore statutes and precedents
• Drafted legal documents, including contracts and pleadings, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations
• Cooperated and coordinated with Assistant State's Attorneys, Guardians ad Litem, CASA, caseworkers, psychologists, and expert witnesses during investigations, administrative proceedings, and Juvenile Court cases in order to protect parental rights
• Drafted, performed, and prepared clients for direct and cross examinations and cross examined State's opposing witnesses, including caseworkers, supervisors, law enforcement, and child abuse pediatricians
• Successfully tried or settled overwhelming majority of cases, protecting clients from further litigation, job loss, or labeling by State of Illinois as perpetrators of abuse or neglect, including sexual abuse, shaken baby, multiple fractures, and medical child abuse
• Developed expertise in combatting systemic false allegations of major medical abuse and unconstitutional overreach by child abuse pediatricians through research, reading, and consultation with experts, representing families facing such charges, helping judges weigh testimony of competing experts, and consulting for the Family Justice Research Center in Peoria, Illinois

Conducted comprehensive legal research to support informational materials, policy development, and litigation, utilizing advanced legal databases such as Westlaw as well as state government and child services statutes and regulations.

• Analyzed case law, statutes, and regulations to provide detailed reports resulting in informational website for parents and informing strategic decision-making for attorneys pursuing substantive policy change
• Influenced Illinois' regulatory change of "inadequate supervision" charge from age 14 to age 12, sparing families unnecessary trauma and expense of investigations and administrative appeals
• Affirmed right of parents to make reasonable decisions concerning their children's well-being and abilities
• See maps and report(s) resulting from this research at: https://letgrow.org/resources/state-policy-maps/

Investigated status of Colombian peace accord as related to human rights attorneys, activists, and indigenous Afro-Colombian population.

• Met with attorneys, activists, justices from the Court of Justice, and United Nations representatives in Bogota and Cali
• Visited and conferred with indigenous communities and local politicians in Buenaventura and Cauca
• Contributed to National Lawyers' Guild report on status of peace accord, providing evidence that Colombian government was not meeting its sworn obligations and exposing severe dangers faced by human rights attorneys, members of the Court of Justice, and indigenous activists
• Traveled independently for a month investigating urban renewal projects in Medellin

Worked with asylum advocacy organization Al otro lado and The National Lawyers' Guild to provide emergency legal advice and humanitarian relief to migrants in Tijuana, Mexico.

• Documented and maintained scrupulous records of migrants admitted for asylum interviews each day
• Advocated, via mediation and civil disobedience, for highest risk migrants to be given priority for asylum interviews
• Educated 50-100 migrants daily on rapidly-changing US asylum law and policy in comprehensive workshops
• Discussed individual circumstances with migrants, helped back up documents, and advised as to asylum claims
• Established and maintained safe houses for LGBTQ+ and unaccompanied minor migrants in danger while awaiting asylum interviews
• Documented conditions in tent cities and shelters; attempted to address immediate needs in concert with NGOs such as Medecins sans frontiers and World Central Kitchen
• Documented behavior of local and federal Mexican law enforcement, BPD, and ICE, including collecting evidence of targeted use of family separation, tear gas, physical violence, and surprise raids intended to deter migrants from legally seeking asylum

• Served as Legal Observer, monitoring behavior of law enforcement at protests and demonstrations of civil disobedience and documenting First Amendment violations following strict protocols in anticipation of litigation
• Trained new Legal Observers and professionalized Chicago training and policies, instituting consistent legal framework and binding confidentiality agreement
• Communicated with clients (protestors and activists) regarding up to 4-5 actions a week to ensure adequate Legal Observer presence
• Communicated with as many as 500 Chicago observers and managed spreadsheet tracking their participation and emergency information

• Assisted with Sec. 1983 action against Chicago Police Department, including researching factual claims, organizing exhibits for digital submission, interviewing expert witnesses, and writing and answering motions in limine
• Co-wrote and edited appellate brief to the Seventh Circuit regarding double jeopardy provision
• Represented clients in criminal, extradition, domestic relations, and traffic courts

• Performed intake and case management, providing compassionate legal services to indigent clients and developing expertise in working with parents, often mothers investigated by the state due to race, domestic violence, mental illness, and disabilities
• Conducted comprehensive legal research to support attorneys in case preparation
• Drafted and edited legal documents including briefs, motions, and memos, adhering to strict formatting and citation standards
• Assisted attorneys in preparing for hearings and trials
• Represented 5-10 clients in administrative appeals and review actions, including analyzing investigative files, interviewing clients and witnesses, requesting subpoenas, writing and performing direct and cross examinations, and answering motions in limine

• Completed Courtroom Mediation and Advanced Mediation practica
• Certified as Center for Conflict Resolution Mediator through 40-hour training
• Performed 4-6 short-form (less than 30 minutes) and 4-6 long-form (3+ hours) mediations, lessening court loads and preventing juveniles from obtaining criminal records

• Reviewed complex academic, medical, counseling, and psychiatric records
• Drafted and revised documents including case study evaluation requests and due process demands
• Assisted in preparing IEP meetings and due process hearings
• Conducted legal research to support case preparation, utilizing various databases and resources to ensure comprehensive understanding of relevant laws and regulations related to "extended school year," special education rights of juvenile sexual offenders, rights of incarcerated minors, responsibility of insurance companies to provide autism-related services, "twice exceptional" children, remedies for bullying

• Public Interest Certificate
• Coursework and practical requirements for Child Law Certificate
• National Lawyers' Guild Executive Board
• Law Students for Reproductive Justice co-founder and Executive Board

Self-designed, interdisciplinary, social sciences PhD focusing on psychology, sociology, history, political science, history, literature, and theology.

• Conceived and taught social sciences, humanities, and writing courses at high school and college levels (The Putney School, St. Paul's School, The University of Chicago, Roosevelt University)

Self-designed course of study and thesis in Russian and French Literature, History, and Philosophy.

• Dean of Faculty Fellowships 2000-2002 to support language immersion and 4-month's travel in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia
• Aubrey Gorton Award for best thesis in the Humanities, 2002