Saper Immersion Program 2025 Recap | Day 4

In its 12th year, the Saper Law Immersion Program offers high school and college students the opportunity to explore various legal careers in one exciting week. The program is organized by Saper Law Offices, LLC.

Day 4 of the Saper Law Immersion Program began at the Circuit Court of Cook County, where students spoke with Superintendent Colin Luce of the Evictions Unit. Colin spoke with the students about the eviction process, the civil process, orders of protection, and the types of services the Sheriff’s office offers. The students also heard about special “squatter cases” and the difference between police officers and sheriffs.

The students then headed to Lawyers for the Creative Arts, where they heard from Executive Director Jan Feldman. Daliah kicked the session off by providing the students with an overview of intellectual property law. Next, Jan and Daliah facilitated an interactive discussion focusing on legal issues relevant to creatives. Topics covered included music licensing, copyright terminology like “public domain” and “ fair use”, social media law considerations, and right of publicity laws.

The students walked to the Cook County Assessor’s Office, where they met Fritz Kegi, Cook County Assessor; Christina Lynch, Director of Legal and Ethics, and Tatia Gibbons, Chief Legal Officer. The students then had lunch while learning the basics of the property tax system, why it matters, and the extensive work the Cook County Assessor’s Office has invested in ensuring ethical practices, transparency, and setting initial values that closely reflect true market conditions.

After lunch, the students walked back to Saper Law to hear from Jay Schleppenbach, Partner at Shook Hardy & Bacon, about white collar criminal defense. During this engaging session, Jay discussed real-life celebrity crime cases, including Martha Stewart’s, Kim Kardashian’s, and reality TV show stars Todd and Julie Chrisley’s. Jay also highlighted his roles in the Chicago Bar Association’s “Bar Show,” which is an annual musical comedy show starring Chicago lawyers.

The students then heard from Valerie Beck, a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur. Valerie is the founder of Chocolate Uplift, which provides chocolate tours, trips, and seminars. Valerie presented virtually from her alma mater, Harvard Law School. Valerie walked through the Harvard Law campus as she spoke with the students about why she started her company and what it takes to make sustainable and ethical chocolate.

The day concluded with a presentation from Alex Memmen, founder and principal attorney of The Memmen Law Firm, LLC, a personal injury law firm. The students learned what a personal injury lawyer does, including when someone gets into a car crash or falls at a department store.