USD School of Law Alumna Jennifer Kearns '86 (JD) Featured in SDUT Article “Attorney Marks 25 years of Service to Mama’s Kitchen”

Jennifer Kearns '86 (JD) Featured in SDUT Article “Attorney Marks 25 years of Service to Mama’s Kitchen”

San Diego (May 24, 2017) - University of San Diego (USD) School of Law alumna Jennifer Kearns, ’86 (JD), was featured in a San Diego Union Tribune article that reported on her 25 years of service to Mama’s Kitchen, a nonprofit launched in 1990 that provides 100% nutrition (3 meals a day, 365 days of the year) to persons who are affected by AIDS/HIV or cancer and are unable to provide for their own nutritional needs. Kearns has been involved in the organization since its inception.

Kearns, who is a partner at Duane Morris, was introduced to the tragedy of the AIDS crisis when she began helping these individuals write their wills as a young attorney.  After winning a $1,500 cash prize at a casino night held by her former employer, Kearns decided to donate it to Mama’s Kitchen.  She also dedicated all of her pro bono hours to the South Bay Legal Clinic, which was providing the will services.

Kearns joined Mama’s Kitchen board of directors in 2004 -- a position she has held ever since, except for a two-year break in 2012-13 due to term limits. She was board president in 2007 and Mama’s Day co-chair in 2008.  Because of her work with Mama’s Kitchen, Kearns was honored in 2011 with the Tom Homann Law Association’s Friend of the Community Award, which is given to non-LGBT volunteers who have given selflessly to the gay community.

Kearns stays connected to Mama’s Kitchen clients by continuing to deliver meals.  “It really drives home that the smallest gesture that you can make in helping another human being with their basic needs is so appreciated,” she said.  “It doesn’t require a lot of money or a lot of efforts on your part. It’s just about showing up and caring enough to take care of other people. You get back a lot more than you give.”

Read the full story online.

 About the University of San Diego School of Law

The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law is recognized for the excellence of its faculty, depth of its curriculum, and strength of its clinical programs. Each year, USD educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest and taxation.

USD School of Law is one of the 84 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 35th nationally and 6th on the West Coast among U.S. law faculties in scholarly impact and 20th nationally and 6th on the West Coast in all-time faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.