Overview
Monica Fennell leads Faegre Drinker’s pro bono initiatives in the Midwest, including the Indiana, Chicago and Minneapolis offices, as well as select firmwide initiatives. She develops and manages opportunities for the firm’s attorneys to volunteer their professional skills to address the unmet legal needs of people who are disadvantaged and underserved.
Faculty Positions
Monica teaches an Honor Scholar seminar at DePauw University on “Access to Justice and Poverty Law.” She previously taught courses at Butler University on “Constitutional Law,” “Community Mediation,” and “Poverty and Access to Justice” and taught law as a Fulbright Scholar at Maldives National University.
Prior Experience
Before joining Faegre Drinker, Monica served as pro bono counsel and director at a midwestern-based Am Law 100 firm. Prior to that she served as the executive director of the Indiana Pro Bono Commission and served as a U.S. Supreme Court Fellow. Monica began her legal career as a litigator in big cities and a small town.
Personal Interests
In her free time, Monica enjoys reading, travel with family and K-dramas.
Credentials
Bar Admissions
Indiana
Court Admissions
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Certifications
- Indiana Supreme Court Commission for Continuing Legal Education — Registered Indiana Domestic Relations Mediator
- Indiana Supreme Court Commission for Continuing Legal Education — Registered Indiana Civil Mediator
Education
Georgetown University Law Center
J.D. (1993)
Williams College
B.A. in French and English, cum laude (1987)
Insights & Events
Latest
Insights
News
Other Perspectives
- International Perspectives on Peace and Conflict Resolution
7th Annual International Asian Congress, Poznan, Poland, October 2020
- Conducting Mediation Remotely: Access to Justice Challenges Amidst a Pandemic
Indiana State Bar Associate, Webinar, June 2020
- Innovations in Bridging the Justice Gap in Rural America
American Bar Association, December 2019
- Hot Topics in Ethics
Indiana State Bar Association, October 2019 - Ethics Tips for Pro Bono
Coalition for Court Access Civil Legal Aid Conference, October 2019 - Medical-Legal Partnership Mechanics
Indiana Health Advocacy Coalition State Conference, August 2019 - It's Your Case Now: Tips and Ethical Pitfalls for Pro Bono Representation
Indianapolis Bar Association, July 2019 - Limited Scope Representation: An Opportunity for Non-Profit and Private Practice Attorneys
Indiana State Bar Association, October 2018 - Medical-Legal Partnership Legal Representation
Indiana Health Advocacy Coalition State Conference, July 2018 - Indiana Pro Bono Leadership Summit
Prindle Institute for Ethics, August 2018 - Unbundling for the NextGen — From Law Schools to Incubators to Pro Bono
Better Access Through Unbundling Conference, October 2017 - Limited Scope Representation: The Ethics of Making It Work for Profit and Pro Bono
Indiana State Bar Association Annual Meeting, September 2017 - High Impact Pro Bono Clinics
Co-presenter, National Legal Aid and Defender Association Annual Conference, Indianapolis, November 2016 - High Impact MLP Pro Bono Clinics
Co-presenter, National Medical-Legal Partnership Summit, Indianapolis, April 2016 - Virtual Clinics for Online Pro Bono Help: Hurdling Barriers to Pro Bono
ABA Dialogue, Vol. 19, No. 2, Spring 2016 - On Books: Rebels at the Bar
ABA Perspectives, Book Review, Spring 2015 - Bringing Outside In: Social Justice Collaborations in the Legal Writing Curriculum
Co-presenter, Drexel University School of Law, Philadelphia, June 2014 - Field Study in Cambodia
57 Res Gestae 46, November 2013 - Access to Justice Delivery Systems in U.S., Thailand and Cambodia
Rotary Clubs of Chang Mai, July 2012; Bangkok, August 2012; Greencastle, November 2012; Carmel, January 2013; Anderson, March 2013; Frankfort, April 2013; and Rockville, November 2017 - Beyond the City Square: Fishing in Wider Pools Without Soundings
39 Fordham Urb. L. J. 11, 2012 - Ensuring Access to Justice for Self-Represented Litigants
94 Judicature 204, March-April 2011 - Using State Legal Needs Studies to Increase Access to Justice for Low-Income Families
48 Fam. Ct. Rev. 619, October 2010 - Emergent Identity: A Comparative Analysis of the New Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Supreme Court of the United States
22 Temp. Int'l & Comp. L .J. 279, Fall 2008
Leadership & Community
Pro Bono
- Indiana Coalition for Court Access
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association — Judicial Division, Lawyers Conference, Executive Committee; Commission on Women in the Profession, Magazine Editorial Board
- Association of Pro Bono Counsel
- Indiana State Bar Association
- U.S. Supreme Court — Fellows Alumni Association, Past Vice President; Historical Society
Civic Activities
- Prindle Institute for Ethics — Volunteer Ethics Bowl Judge
Firm Leadership
- Pro Bono Committee
Honors
- Fulbright Scholar, Maldives National University, 2022
- Faegre Baker Daniels — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2012-19
- Indiana Bar Foundation — Randall T. Shepard Pro Bono Award, 2015
- Rotary Peace Fellow, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 2012
- Indiana Lawyer — Leadership in Law, Distinguished Barrister Award, 2011
- Justice Thomas Clark Award — Excellence in Service as Supreme Court Fellow, Presented by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., 2008