Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
As the incoming president of the DuPage County Chapter of the Justinian Society of Lawyers in Illinois, Kira N. Albrecht already has one goal: to bring back monthly or quarterly meetings held at restaurants, so members can socialize while enjoying appetizers and refreshments.
“That kind of stopped during COVID, but I want to revive it,” she says.
Albrecht is an attorney at the law firm Mirabella, Kincaid, Frederick and Mirabella, based in Wheaton, Illinois, where she focuses on family law and appellate litigation. Lynn Mirabella and Lindsay Stella, both partners of the firm, are past presidents of the DuPage County Chapter.
Kira’s father, Edward Manzo, was an active member of the Cook County Justinian Society of Lawyers while he practiced patent law in Chicago. That’s what initially sparked her desire to join the organization, Albrecht says.
Albrecht grew up in Lake Forest, where she now lives with her husband and two young children.
She has a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and has been a practicing attorney since 2014. She joined her current firm in 2020, the same year she joined the organization, whose members must be law students, lawyers or judges.
“I thought it was a great way to meet people to network and to get a sense of community. I think it’s really important to continue the representation of Italian heritage in the legal community,’ she says. “And, it’s just a wonderful organization that has wonderful charity initiatives. Many close colleagues and friends and part of the organization as well, and it’s really nice to see them on a regular basis and have that connection.”
For example, the annual Charity Ball this October will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a cause she calls “close to her heart.” The DuPage Chapter also hosts an annual St. Joseph’s dinner, which this year took place at an Italian restaurant in the Chicago suburbs.
In April, the chapter will host a Talent Night in conjunction with the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers and the DuPage County Bar Association. Earlier this year, the chapter joined in a bocce tournament along with the Cook County Chapter.
The DuPage Chapter also gives out scholarships; students need not be Italian to apply.
So why did Albrecht choose family law? Because besides legal knowledge, family law requires compassion and “a deep level of human understanding,” she says.
“I think that’s a really important skill set, and I felt that was a way I could make a difference, using my legal acumen, to help clients in a very human way as they go through really difficult times, such as a divorce or custody battle,” she says. “I was always drawn to being able to help people in that way.”
Also, family law attorneys can find themselves taking novel legal issue to the appellate courts, and “sometimes we get to make new law,” she says.
Albrecht is also involved in the bar associations representing Kane County and DuPage counties, and for many years played the violin for the Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra while she lived in Chicago. “I stopped when I moved out of the city,” she says. “It’s too hard to get downtown for rehearsals, but I loved that group.”
Albrecht will step up to the presidency of the DuPage Justinians at an installation dinner on May 30 at LaBarra Ristorante in Oak Brook. She’ll be accepting the gavel from outgoing president Amanda Zannoni. Joining Albrecht as officers will be Vice President Maria (Gabby) Antoniolli, Second Vice President Lindsey Mirabella, Secretary Anthony Pasquini, Treasurer Mike Scalzo, and Comptroller Elizabeth Pope. To make reservations, call 630-279-6800 or click here.
