Sometimes professional passions skip a generation.
Matilda Schachter Yoelin, 88, this month presented her granddaughter, Elyse Yoelin, with the ceremonial hood at her graduation from DePaul University’s College of Law. In 1932, Matilda Yoelin received her law degree from the same college.
Matilda married her late husband Samuel, a fellow classmate, the day after graduation and together they launched their lengthy careers. But she says she was happy when her son (Elyse’s father) decided to become a musician.
Then, she explains, he wouldn’t have to deal with “the feuding and fussing and hysteria of the law–“
“–which I love,” interjects Elyse. “I’ve always known from a young age that I wanted to be a lawyer. I loved debate and the adversarial aspect. I knew it was right for me.”
Arguably, Matilda paved the way not just for her granddaughter, but for other women. When she was awarded her diploma, she was one of six women graduates out of a class of 150 students. The class of 2000 had 325 graduates, about half of whom are women, according to the college.
She reports, perhaps surprisingly, that she never experienced gender-based bias, but has seen many developments in the legal landscape over the last 70 years.
“I was so young and naive when I completed law school that I didn’t even know where City Hall was located,” says Matilda, a lifetime Chicagoan. “The entire law school experience has changed quite a bit. When I was in school, there was no such thing as specialization. We did every field.”
She was drawn, however, to real estate law and eventually became a landlord.
What motivated her to pursue a legal career? “My parents had come to America from Austria and were in the bakery business. They were always having trouble with creditors and one of the creditors said, `You ought to have your own lawyer.’ “
So her mother encouraged her to fill the spot. After graduating from Harrison High School, Matilda enrolled at Crane College where she completed a two-year program in a year and a half (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text). From there, she attended DePaul’s College of Law, graduating when she was almost 21 years old. “The bar exam was being offered the third week of July and I had to wait because I missed the age cutoff by a week,” she said.
She continued to practice law while raising two sons and two daughters. She’s matter-of-fact about the challenges of combining work and family, commenting, “It can be done.” But she adds, her husband was very involved with raising the children and he was designated the “chief cook.”
“I feel I’m a very lucky person. I made some good connections and good friends, and made a lot of money. I also owe a great deal to the Greek people we (she and her husband) met who always befriended us and guided us.”
Now she looks after her real estate and still does some work in court. And, of course, there’s the job of encouraging her granddaughter.
After earning a degree in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, going to DePaul’s law school seemed a natural choice for Elyse, given her family’s history. “There was a legacy,” she says.
Her grandmother has been extremely supportive of her, Elyse says. “Law school is really difficult and rigorous, sometimes overwhelming. Whenever I had a problem, I went to grandma. She was always there to provide me with direction.”
And the two share certain character traits.
“We’re both fighters,” says Elyse. “We’re both strong, stubborn, bossy and ambitious.”
“I’m not lazy,” Matilda chimes in. “I’m working all the time.”
“We have the same work ethic,” adds Elyse.
Specializing in criminal defense, Elyse says her ultimate goal is to be a public or federal defender.
“I view it as my greatest potential to have an effect on someone’s life. I see societal problems and I think it’s an area where I can make a difference.”
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E-mail: jfitzgerald@tribune.com
