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Monica Mosby, 2004 PILI Fellow

As a PILI Fellow at the Federal Defender Program, Monica Mosby was both excited and scared on her first day of work when an attorney sat several large case files in front of her and said, “We go to trial in two weeks; get yourself up to speed.” Mosby described her time as a PILI Fellow as “absolutely amazing.” During her Fellowship, she was thrown into the mix of the office right away when she was staffed as part of a trial team. Mosby attended strategy meetings and client meetings and sat at the defense counsel table at trial. In addition to this unique experience so early in her career, Mosby also participated in various other matters, sitting in on new client and intake meetings as well as settlement and proffer meetings with Assistant U.S. Attorneys prosecuting the cases. A litigation associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman since her graduation from law school, Mosby is the Co-Chair of the firm’s Minority Associates’ Committee and a Co-Editor of the firm’s diversity newsletter. Mosby continues to devote time to pro bono work, most notably with the Legal Assistance Foundation and the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee, all while being a mother to a four-year-old son and one-year-old twins (a son and a daughter). She also served on the PILI Board of Directors as the Fellow Representative from 2004-2006. Reflecting on how her PILI Fellowship influenced her career, Mosby notes, “To act as trial counsel right out of law school was priceless. I got to see early in my career the art of advocacy, whether in front of a jury at trial or negotiating a plea deal with the Assistant U.S. Attorneys. Although my practice is primarily civil defense, the ability to advocate my client’s position is an essential skill.”

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