Chris Lind: Former Wigmore Scholar helps Northwestern Law raise the bar
As one of the top trial lawyers in Chicago, it goes without saying that Chris Lind keeps a very busy schedule. Working downtown, his proximity to Northwestern University School of Law is helpful in maintaining a connection to his alma mater.
But even if that weren’t the case, he would surely find a way to overcome the distance as well as the time constraints.
“You make time for things that are meaningful,” Chris (L94) says, “and the school has been that to me.”
In addition to his financial contributions to the Bluhm Legal Clinic and other areas, Chris acts as a liaison between his firm, Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, and the University. He is also active with the Law School’s Bartlit Center for Trial Advocacy. He taught a class for several years on the use of technology in the courtroom, and he has coached the Law School and undergraduate mock trial teams.
After earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan with highest honors, Chris attended the Law School as a Wigmore Scholar. He went on to graduate at the top of his class, earning the John Paul Stevens Award for Academic Excellence. Chris said some of his fondest Northwestern memories are from his time at the Bluhm Legal Clinic where he got his first courtroom experience, including representing a 16-year-old in an attempted murder case.
Since then, Chris has earned many honors and distinctions in his field. He was named one of the 10 “Rising Stars of the Trial Bar” by Chicago Lawyer magazine in 2008, and as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation each of the past four years.
“The connection I have to Northwestern that makes me want to keep as close as I can is that I was given the opportunity as a Wigmore Scholar to have a tuition-free education,” he says. “So part of me feels like I have an obligation to return some of the opportunities the school provided me, both from a financial gift standpoint, and with my firm, sponsoring the Bartlit Center.”
