The Above the Line Network is a joint project of IAALS and The Chicago Bar Foundation.
Jessica Bednarz is the Director of Legal Services and the Profession at IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. In this role, Bednarz is responsible for leading the vision and strategy of IAALS’ work around innovation, regulation, reform, and evolution in the areas of the delivery of legal services and the legal profession more generally.
Bednarz joined IAALS in 2023 after working at The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF). During her eight years with the CBF, Bednarz worked on a wide range of access to justice issues. Her most recent work includes overseeing the CBF’s legal incubator program called the Justice Entrepreneurs Project, launching Legal Entrepreneurs for Justice in Colorado, staffing the Chicago Bar Association & Chicago Bar Foundation Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law and Innovation focused on regulatory reform, and creating practice resources such as the CBF Pricing and Limited Scope Representation Toolkits. In 2020 Bednarz was selected by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as a 40 Under 40 honoree, and in 2013 Bednarz was honored with the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Rising Star Award.
Prior to working at the CBF, Bednarz was in private practice specializing in family law, both as a solo practitioner and as an associate at O’Connor Family Law, P.C. She later served as the MCLE Coordinator for The Chicago Bar Association and served as a consultant for the Colorado Bar Association.
Bednarz received her JD and family law certificate, cum laude, from DePaul University College of Law and a BS from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Roya Samarghandi is The Chicago Bar Foundation’s (CBF) Chief Advocacy & Innovation Officer. Samarghandi plays a key role in the CBF’s mission through her work on legislative and policy advocacy, innovation initiatives, and the CBF Legal Aid Academy.
An alumna of the JEP, Samarghandi owned and ran her own practice, Carmel Law, LLC. In her practice, she provided a variety of legal services for her clients, in both a full scope and limited scope capacity and at an affordable rate. Samarghandi’s practice areas included family law, criminal defense, and orders of protection for survivors of domestic violence. In 2022, Samarghandi was named as one of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s “40 Under 40” attorneys to watch.
Samarghandi received her JD from the University of Illinois College of Law, and she also holds a Masters of Law Degree in International Human Rights from the University of Nottingham School of Law (U.K.). Her BA is in Political Science from Miami University (Ohio).
Samarghandi is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but now considers Chicago home. She loves spending time enjoying Chicago’s many wonderful restaurants and attending live music concerts.