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Attorney Alejandra Barcenas knew a career in public interest was probably not a realistic fit for her when as the student director of the Life After Innocence legal clinic in Chicago she gave away her mattress, lamps, and television to an exonerated man recently released from prison.
“Every time I met a new exoneree, I wanted to give literally everything I had to them,” says Barcenas, who goes by Ale. “Every time, which became a bit of a problem in itself.”
After receiving some sage advice from attorneys at the Illinois Innocence Project, she realized her future fiancé had a point when he said, “You can’t do this for everyone and you’re going to want to do this for everyone.”
The clinic helped exonerees navigate through the legal and social challenges they face after release. Law students consult with exonerees and pursue legislation, litigation, and fund-raising.
“It was such an amazing experience. It was so rewarding. In many ways it was some of the best work I’ve done,” says Barcenas. “I promised myself it’s something I eventually want to get involved with again in some capacity, but I realized it could not be what I do full time because I don’t have the skills necessary to shoulder the heavy emotional toll that comes with each case without letting it take over my life. I think this is something people take for granted about this kind of work but it’s so important and something I truly admire so much about the attorneys that do this work full time.”
The Loyola School of Law alum is now a litigation associate at the Chicago law firm of Lipe Lyons Murphy Nahrstadt & Pontikis, Ltd. where she represents clients in state and federal court cases involving a variety of claims, including commercial disputes, catastrophic loss, construction injuries, and breach of contract, just to name a few.
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