Lurene M. Contento

Lurene M. Contento is a Visiting Professor and Full-Time Faculty member in the Legal Research and Writing department at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. She joined in 2019, specializing in teaching Legal Writing IV for international LL.M. students and Legal English. With over 20 years of experience, she focuses on legal writing pedagogy, negotiations, and skills training for J.D. students and international attorneys.

Her career includes directing the Legal Writing Resource Center at The John Marshall Law School (UIC Law), which conducted over 1,500 annual advising sessions. She has advised thousands of students on legal writing improvement and presented globally on legal education topics.

Education:

• J.D., John Marshall Law School
• B.A., Loyola University Chicago

Her research interests revolve around legal writing pedagogy, international legal education, plagiarism prevention, and the integration of technology in legal skills training. She has lectured in Australia, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, and Mexico.

Awards:

• Global Legal Skills Award
• Deborah Hecht Memorial Writing Award (2012, for her 2011 article)

Professional Background: Prior to academia, Contento practiced law in a general practice firm. She has also taught remotely in the Graduate Lawyering Program at St. John’s School of Law (2020–2021).

Her work emphasizes bridging legal writing theory and practice, particularly for international students adapting to U.S. legal frameworks.