New Scholarship Honors Marisa Maleck’s Memory
When Marisa Maleck, ’11, died suddenly last April, more than 175 of her friends and colleagues quickly came together to create a scholarship in her name at the Law School, a strong reflection of how much she meant to the people who had known her.
“Marisa lit up any room she was in,” said Adam Mortara, ’01, who taught Marisa as a Law School faculty member and subsequently became a close friend. “Whatever she was involved with, Marisa’s presence made it a celebration—of ideas, of connection, of possibilities.”
Dean Thomas Miles remembered her impact on the classroom. “Marisa was a superb student and an energetic participant in class discussions. Her enthusiasm for discussing the law and exploring ideas elevated each class,” Miles said.
Marisa’s lawyering skill was evident at the Law School, where she won the Thomas Mulroy Prize for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy. US Court of Appeals Chief Judge William Pryor was one of the judges of that moot court competition, and he hired Marisa to clerk for him after she graduated.
“She was the first clerk I brought on from UChicago, but far from the last,” Pryor said. “Her excellence as a lawyer and her exceptional attributes as a colleague helped pave the way for many more UChicago grads who have followed her.” He had two clerks from the Law School in 2023 and will have two in 2024.
After her clerkship with Judge Pryor, Marisa joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She then clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas before starting with King & Spalding’s Washington, DC, office, where she created a striking record of accomplishment, leadership, mentorship, and inspiration. She was elected as a partner at the firm in 2019.
In 2021, Law 360 recognized her as one of the top lawyers under age 40 for her work in life sciences, and then assigned her that same honor two years later, after she had changed her focus to data privacy. With that change in focus, said King & Spalding partner Mark Brown, “She got into a number of different regulatory litigation strategic areas where there really was no road map. She basically created her own road map, and she excelled at it.”
Marisa’s pro bono work was prodigious; she would handle as many as ten cases in a year. King & Spalding’s DC office has named its internal pro bono award for her.
King & Spalding partner Amy Upshaw, ’16, remembered Marisa as “an amazing presence, someone who was known and trusted by senior lawyers and admired and emulated by juniors, always connecting people and connected with people.” Upshaw recalled how Marisa had sought her out at a gathering while Upshaw was still in law school, taken her to brunch, and kept in touch, even flying to Milwaukee where Upshaw was clerking to persuade her to join the firm. “She was a mentor and a role model to me and countless others,” Upshaw said.
At the Law School, Marisa chaired the Edmund Burke Society; was senior comment editor of Legal Forum; cochaired the Hinton Moot Court; and was an academic counselor, a member of the Women’s Law Caucus, a member of the Graduating Students Committee, and a member of the Student Admissions Committee.
Perhaps most significant to her was chairing the Law School’s chapter of the Federalist Society in her third year, after serving on its board in her first two years. She had worked with the organization after graduating from Amherst, before coming to the Law School.
Lee Liberman Otis, ’83, a senior vice president of the Federalist Society, remembered Marisa as having “played a critical role” in the formation of the society’s faculty division, and as “effervescent . . . a force to be reckoned with, while at the same time managing to be a thoughtful and generous person.”
A hallmark of the hundreds of Federalist Society events that Marisa helped organize at the Law School was their frequent presentation of alternative views. Many were cohosted with the American Constitution Society.
“Whatever she was involved with, Marisa’s presence made it a celebration—of ideas, of connection, of possibilities.”
Adam Mortara
In an interview with this magazine after one such event involving two legal scholars with strongly different perspectives, Marisa said, “The room was packed and the questions were just the type you’d expect from Chicago students—it was an intellectually engaged discussion!” That quote might have typically ended with a period and not an exclamation mark, but it was Marisa Maleck being quoted, and her enthusiasm was not to be muted.
Dean Miles reflected on her enthusiastic presence at the Law School: “A great joy for any faculty member is teaching bright, energetic students, watching them grow intellectually and professionally, and seeing them launch dazzling careers. At the University of Chicago Law School, we are fortunate to have bright and energetic students. Even by this high standard, Marisa was a stand-out who made intellectual and community life at the Law School so much better.”
At graduation, Marisa received the Law School’s Anne Watson Barber Outstanding Service Award for exceptional contributions to the quality of life at the Law School. A student who nominated her for the award wrote: “She happily takes time to help people in whatever way she can . . . She does all this—in addition to her academic commitments—with a smile and never makes anything seem like an imposition.”
Ann Perry, the Law School’s associate dean for admissions and financial aid, observed, “For all that she accomplished at the Law School and after her time here, Marisa was remarkably unassuming, connecting with everyone with an openness and genuineness that made any interaction with her enjoyable and inspiring.”
The scholarship in Marisa’s name was funded with more than $200,000 in less than three months. “The outpouring of support for the scholarship was remarkable,” said Alex Steele, the associate dean for external affairs. “So many people wanted to be sure that the memory of Marisa, what she accomplished, and who she was would be honored at the Law School.” In addition to donations from individuals, King & Spalding as a firm made an important contribution.
Marisa was a scholarship recipient herself, and the fund named in her honor will give deserving students the same opportunity to experience a transformative legal education. This year, two students received funding from the Marisa Christina Maleck Memorial Scholarship Fund, the first of many who will be supported and inspired by Marisa’s legacy for generations to come.
Marisa’s mother, Maria Rodriguez-Maleck, said: “Marisa loved everything about her time at the Law School—the learning, the relationships, and the possibilities it opened for her. Her father and I are deeply grateful to all those whose contributions mean that Marisa’s memory will be honored and that others will be able to have the kinds of experiences that she had.”