Most Rev.Thomas J. Paprocki, a 1981 DePaul College of Law graduate, has been appointed the new bishop for the Diocese of Springfield.  Paprocki currently serves as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago, where he is vicar for Vicariate IV and liaison to Poland and for health and hospital affairs for Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I.

Paprocki drew upon the experience he gained while attending law school at DePaul to establish the Chicago Legal Clinic (formerly the South Chicago Legal Clinic).  He and fellow law student, Edward Grossman (LAW ’81), co-founded the clinic in 1981 to help people in Chicago’s Pullman community who needed legal assistance following the collapse of the steel industry. The Steel industry had been one of Pullman’s most prominent employers.

“We  met as law students at DePaul, became friends and served together in the law school’s legal clinic,” said Grossman, who currently is executive director of the Chicago Legal Clinic. “Our service in the legal clinic at DePaul was definitely a factor in starting this legal clinic.  A dynamic of the clinic was that we got hands-on experience providing legal services. We also saw the difference legal services can make in peoples’ lives.”

The Chicago Legal Clinic, which served 17,000 people last fiscal year, now operates from four offices:  South Chicago, Austin, Pilsen and downtown.  Its services are broad-based and include programs in areas such as domestic violence, advocacy for  seniors and people with disabilities, environmental law, immigration, ex-offender advocacy, consumer advocacy, and child support and paternity. It also operates a legal advice desk for the Cook County Circuit Court, according to Grossman.

With his most recent appointment, Paprocki, who is president of the clinic’s board, will undoubtedly embark on new and exciting challenges.  However,  his contributions to the legal community will continue to grow from a friendship he made while attending law school at DePaul. “The bonds you make with your classmates can be instrumental in the future,” said Grossman.

Paprocki is the second College of Law graduate to be elevated within the ranks of the Catholic Church.  Earlier this year,  distinguished law alumnus Jerome Edward Listecki  (LAW ’76) was  installed as Archbishop of Milwaukee.