Erin McGinley has in-depth knowledge of a variety of legal systems throughout the world, which she gained through her extensive experience teaching training programs to international lawyers and judges. She has been a leader and faculty member for multiple programs for judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, NGO attorneys, and law clerks in Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Indonesia. Erin has conducted courses on advocacy skills, ethics, pleas, case management, court administration, wildlife crime, human trafficking, gender-based violence, and teacher training in partnership with Lawyers Without Borders, the U.S. Departments of Justice and State, and the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA).
Erin is extremely familiar with appellate litigation, having spent over a decade as the Senior Law Clerk to Judge Ann Claire Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. In that capacity, she encountered cases spanning all facets of federal court practice. Before clerking, Erin practiced in the litigation and labor and employment sections at a large law firm. Prior to attending law school, she worked with public defenders representing indigent clients and gained management experience as the assistant director of a center that serves free meals to 200 to 300 guests six days a week, where she started a legal clinic.
Erin is a member of the NITA Advisory Council. She has been an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, taught in Emory's trial skills program, and given presentations through the U.S. Department of State to justices from African nations.
Experience
- Loyola University Chicago (J.D. 2002; Class Rank: 1st; Executive Board, Law Journal; Recipient, numerous CALI awards for highest grade; Honors-at-Entrance Merit Scholarship); University of Notre Dame (B.B.A. summa cum laude 1996)
- Illinois, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and U.S. District Courts for the Northern Districts of Illinois and Indiana
- Office of the Prosecutor, Appellate Division, United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (Arusha, Tanzania, 2005)
- Senior Law Clerk to Judge Ann Claire Williams, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (2004-2018)