CHICAGO –Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that on May 26, for the second consecutive year, its Women’s Leadership Forum will sponsor a series of workshops at Simpson Academy for Young Women, the only Chicago Public School exclusively for pregnant and parenting students (grades 6 - 12). The Firm’s attorneys, along with outside professionals, will lead various workshops designed to help the students develop critical life skills, particularly in the areas of careers and parenting.

Simpson Academy accepts pregnant students from any high school in Chicago throughout the year. With an enrollment of approximately 300 students, the school offers a general high school curriculum within a nurturing environment that includes social work services and counseling services for students and their families. Parenting Skills classes taught by nurse practitioners are available to students, and homebound instruction is provided to students with a physician's approval. Simpson Academy also offers additional on-site services, such as "Literature for All of Us" and the WIC food supplement program.

"The involvement of Katten Muchin Rosenman means more to our school and its students than they can possibly realize," said Dr. Beverly Bennett, Principal of Simpson Academy for Young Women. "The support and care that these busy professionals exhibit for our students is invaluable in preparing them for the responsibilities of parenting and the job market."

The Firm will sponsor workshops for Simpson Academy students on topics including:

     

  • Nutrition for pregnancy and nursing, staffed by Michael Reese Hospital
  • Family planning, staffed by Michael Reese Hospital
  • Infant massage, staffed by Northwestern Memorial Hospital
  • Careers in the legal industry, staffed by volunteers from Katten Muchin Rosenman
  • Job interviewing skills, staffed by volunteers from Katten Muchin Rosenman

     

In addition to the May 26 event, Katten has sponsored a number of other projects at the school over the last year, including a holiday book drive through which every student at the school received a book. It also sponsored a mural project at the school and field trips for the students to Christie’s auction house and the Art Institute of Chicago. The Firm also plans a number of additional projects to assist the school in key areas of need, as part of a continuing commitment to Simpson Academy.

"In Simpson Academy, we have found an exceptionally worthy cause for which there is a genuine need for our time and resources," said Susan Goldenberg, a partner in the Trusts and Estates Practice at Katten. "We are delighted to bring together experts from Michael Reese and Northwestern Memorial Hospitals with our own legal professionals to provide the students with important parenting and career information. While we are happy to provide any assistance that we can, the most important thing that we can do is to spend time interacting with the students. We look forward to continuing our long-term relationship with Simpson Academy."

Katten Muchin Rosenman’s Women's Leadership Forum was established to foster the development and advancement of women, both within the Firm and through participation with the greater communities in which the Firm serves. The WLF’s relationship with Simpson Academy provides an opportunity for the Firm to reach out to women and children in need.