Clare L. Brunn

Clare L. Brunn is an Attorney representing individuals and families injured in Premises Liability, Product Liability, Transportation & Car Accidents and Sexual Abuse & Hazing cases. Clare began as a law clerk for the firm in January 2025, supporting the Civil Rights, Abuse, and Mass Torts & Class Actions teams.

During her time as a clerk at Romanucci & Blandin, Clare worked closely with the legal teams on notable cases, such as the shooting of Chicago Police Officer Krystal Rivera, the wrongful death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, wrongful conviction cases, Backpage.com sexual abuse and trafficking cases, the mass shooting at Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, among others.

Clare graduated with her Juris Doctor and was valedictorian of her class at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School. She earned undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Spanish from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.

During law school, Clare served as a student law aide to Professor Jenna Prochaska and Professor Marc Ginsberg. She served on the UIC Law Review as Lead Articles Executive Editor and as a published author. Clare participated in the UIC Moot Court and was a runner-up at the Tulane Sports Law National Competition – Mardi Gras Invitational, as well as Co-Chief Justice, Top Petitioner Oralist and Top Petitioner Brief Honorable Mention at the Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition, where she finished as a quarterfinalist. She also received CALI Awards for Contracts I, Property, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law I, Evidence, Criminal Procedure, and Business Associations at UIC Law.

While in undergrad, Clare was captain of Loras College’s Division III women’s lacrosse team. She was also an AmeriCorps Justice Advocate service member with Iowa Legal Aid. At Iowa Legal Aid, Claire organized pro se divorce clinics for seniors and low-income individuals, connecting them with volunteer attorneys to complete divorce paperwork. Her work with individuals seeking expungement through the organization’s clinic sparked an interest in supporting justice-impacted individuals and inspired her to pursue the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund Summer Law Internship at Uptown People’s Law Center during law school. Clare assisted attorneys in filing Just Housing Amendment complaints with the Cook County Commission on Human Rights on behalf of clients who were unlawfully discriminated against because of their criminal record, and worked on excessive-force class-action suits against IDOC.

She became passionate about restorative justice while volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club, where she taught students restorative justice skills. Clare contributed research to support section 25(a) of HB5588, currently pending before the Illinois legislature. This bill would expand Restorative Justice Community Courts, which are highly successful in Cook County, to all judicial circuits in Illinois.

 In her free time, Clare enjoys powerlifting, volunteering and watching true-crime documentaries.

Languages

• Spanish

• J.D., University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
• B.A., Psychology, Loras College
• B.A., Spanish, Loras College

• UIC Law Valedictorian
• UIC Moot Court, Dean Herzog Moot Court Competition
  • Co-Chief Justice
  • Top Petitioner Oralist
  • Top Petitioner Brief Honorable Mention
  • Quarterfinalist
• Tulane Sports Law National Competition – Mardi Gras Invitational
  • Runner-up
• CALI Awards, UIC Law
  • Contracts I
  • Property
  • Criminal Law
  • Constitutional Law I
  • Evidence
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Business Associations

• UIC Law Review
  • Lead Articles Executive Editor
  • Published author
• Alvin H. Baum Family Fund Summer Law Internship, Uptown People’s Law Center
• Iowa Legal Aid (AmeriCorps Justice Advocate)

• Illinois