Kris Kenn

JD/PhD Research Intern

Kris joins the Diversity Lab from Northwestern where she is completing a joint JD and PhD in Sociology. Following graduation from the University of Michigan with a triple major in Political Science, Sociology, and Women’s Studies, Kris spent two years at Sidley Austin D.C. as a pro bono and appellate legal assistant. During this time she worked directly under Sidley’s global head of pro bono, working primarily on Supreme Court briefs including in forma pauperis petitions as well as managing Sidley’s partnership with the Northwestern Supreme Court Clinic and handling D.C. Bar pro bono cases. Following her time at Sidley, she spent two years as a research associate doing similar work for a progressive boutique firm, the Constitutional Accountability Center.

Kris entered Northwestern’s joint JD and PhD program in 2016 focusing in legal consciousness and privacy. She has since researched inequity within the legal system in a variety of areas both independently and with other legal scholars, including the obstacles faced by jailhouse lawyers, the consequences of the monetary sanctions system, the career trajectories of women in law, and the effects of the bar system on access to justice. She hopes to complete her dissertation by 2022.