Federal Bar Association
The Loyola Federal Bar Association (LFBA) presents educational and networking programs for students interested in federal law practice. Our mission is to establish a continuous and prominent Loyola student presence within the Federal Bar Association's (FBA) Chicago Chapter and give Loyola students the opportunity to interact with federal judges and practitioners.
Nationally, the FBA has more than 19,000 members, including 1500 federal judges, working together to promote the administration of justice and integrity, as well as the quality and autonomy of the judiciary.
Please contact zvalenciadiaz@luc.edu for more information. Follow us on Facebook.
2023-2024 Board
Zulay Valencia Diaz
President
Zulay Valencia Diaz (she/her/ella) is a 3L who grew up and lived in New York City before moving to Chicago for law school. While in undergrad she studied sociology, political science, and Africana and Latino Studies. Throughout law school she has interned at various public interest organizations including the ACLU of Illinois and the Center for Disability and Elder Law. After graduation, she intends to pursue a career in immigration and labor and employment law, and would eventually like to pivot into international law in order to help advance rights for marginalized people across the world.
Fun fact: Zulay is an avid reader and is currently enthralled by fantasy romance novels.
Contact: zvalenciadiaz@luc.edu
Sydney Mann
Vice President
Sydney Mann (she/her) is a 2L from St. Charles, IL. Prior to law school, she worked at Deloitte as a Senior Consultant in the firm's Cyber & Strategic Risk Practice with a focus on Data Privacy. During her 1L summer she interned in-house at Camping World, the nation's largest RV dealer, where she worked alongside commercial transactions and litigation attorneys to draft settlement agreements, update asset purchase agreement forms, and conduct document review as well as legal research. This experience revealed that she has an interest in intellectual property and technology licensing which she aims to pursue at a law firm in the near future.
Fun fact: Sydney bought and renovated her condo in Oak Park in 2020, so she's always open to consult on a paint color or furniture purchase for her friends.
Contact: smann7@luc.edu
Arti Sahajpal
Secretary
Arti Sahajpal (she/her) is a 2L from the southwest suburbs. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and worked in a variety of different fields prior to entering law school. She is interested in litigation but is still exploring her interests in specific practice areas. This past summer she externed for a federal magistrate judge in the Northern District of Illinois.
Fun fact: Arti and her husband are currently building a racecar.
Contact: asahajpal@luc.edu
Johannes Alvarez-Rivero
Public Relations Officer
Johannes Alvarez-Rivero (he/him) is a 2L who grew up primarily in New York City though he lived briefly in Beirut, Lebanon. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Law as well as a master's degree in International Trade and Tax Law from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. He participated in numerous legal clinics during his master's degree, helped write a textbook on best accounting skills for lawyers, and taught international trade law courses abroad in China. Johannes spent his 1L summer as a Summer Associate at Husch Blackwell and Research Assistant to Dean Michèle Alexandre. For his 2L summer, Johannes will be a Summer Associate for Reed Smith's Global Corporate Group in Chicago, focusing on international mergers and acquisitions.
Fun fact: Johannes has been playing guitar since he was five, and his favorite band is the Gorillaz.
Contact: jalvarezrivero@luc.edu
Kathleen Vannucci
Faculty Advisor
Kathleen M. Vannucci is a shareholder at the Law Offices of Robert D. Ahlgren and Associates, P.C., Chicago, Illinois, practicing exclusively in immigration law. Kathleen received her B.A. in political science and Spanish, summa cum laude, from Loyola College in Maryland. She graduated from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, cum laude.
Kathleen is a former Chair of the AILA Chicago Chapter. Kathleen was recognized by AILA as a 2015 Michael Maggio Pro Bono Honoree for her dedicated efforts to promote justice and provide access to counsel and her proven tenacity in the fight to end family detention as part of the AILA Artesia Project. Kathleen has also been very involved in advocacy regarding immigration reform and ending family detention. Kathleen was recognized by AILA as the 2016 Advocacy Award Honoree in recognition of outstanding efforts in support of AILA’s legislative and media advocacy agendas. Kathleen was published in the 2016 Edition of Illinois Adoption Law published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Kathleen’s chapter focused Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Kathleen also collaborated with and co-authored a practice advisory with the National Immigrant Justice Center entitled: “USCIS Policy Updates for Special Immigrant Juveniles: A Practice Advisory for State Court Practitioners.”
Kathleen also serves as an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law teaching Immigration Law and Policy.
Contact: kvannuc@luc.edu
The Loyola Federal Bar Association (LFBA) presents educational and networking programs for students interested in federal law practice. Our mission is to establish a continuous and prominent Loyola student presence within the Federal Bar Association's (FBA) Chicago Chapter and give Loyola students the opportunity to interact with federal judges and practitioners.
Nationally, the FBA has more than 19,000 members, including 1500 federal judges, working together to promote the administration of justice and integrity, as well as the quality and autonomy of the judiciary.
Please contact zvalenciadiaz@luc.edu for more information. Follow us on Facebook.