Alumna Spotlight: Chantelle Porter
Chantelle Porter (JD ’06) has been passionate about law since childhood.
“I knew I wanted to be a lawyer when I was 8. I specifically wrote in my sixth-grade yearbook that I wanted to represent children and families,” Porter says. “I have always been interested in advocacy work.”
Porter is doing just that as a judge in the 18th Judicial Circuit of DuPage County, Ill., in Chicago’s western suburbs. She was appointed by the state’s Supreme Court in December 2022, filling a vacancy on the court and becoming the first Black female judge in the county.
Porter has spent her career representing children and families, including representing minors in criminal delinquency proceedings, parents in abuse and neglect cases, and children in contested custody cases.
Porter previously served as an assistant public defender in the county’s juvenile division and as a Cook County assistant public guardian, representing children in the foster care system. She also was in private practice in family law, representing children and parents.
Now that she’s on the bench, she’s hitting her stride, sitting on the juvenile court.
“We handle both juvenile dependency and juvenile justice cases, which really fits into my background,” she says.
Porter says DePaul University’s College of Law was a crucial part of the journey to where she is today.
“I was part of the family law program [at DePaul], and right away I was able to get additional exposure to family law and family law issues. My legal writing was specific to family law,” Porter says. “I was also able to take advantage of the 711 program, which allowed me to work at the Cook County public guardian’s office, which was a total immersion in child welfare and juvenile dependency.”
DePaul offers the 711 license program to upper-level law students, certifying them to perform specific legal services under an attorney’s supervision in a legal aid, public defender’s or state law office.
Porter says serving DuPage county and handling cases related to children and families is an honor.
“It’s a great fit for me,” she says. “I’m excited to be serving the community that I’ve cared about throughout my career.” — Michael Boland