Christine Evans (JD ’03, LLM-IHR ’11) Receives Inaugural Justice John Paul Stevens Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award

Northwestern Pritzker Law alumna Christine M. Evans (JD ’03, LLM-IHR ’11) has received the John Paul Stevens Foundation’s inaugural Justice John Paul Stevens Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award. Evans, who is the Founder and Principal Director of Shared Roots Collective, a mediation and conflict transformation practice that specializes in applying the principles and practices of restorative and transformative justice to all forms of conflict resolution, originally received a Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship (Stevens Fellowship) in 2002.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award,” said Evans. “My 2002 Stevens Fellowship provided critical support at a pivotal moment in my legal education, enabling me to pursue my passion for social justice through my International Justice Mission internship. This early investment in my commitment to public service gave me the confidence to dedicate my career to public interest law. Two decades later, this award will help Shared Roots expand access to restorative and transformative justice for survivors of sexual harm. I am grateful that the Foundation continues to support innovative approaches to justice while honoring Justice Stevens’ legacy of expanding access to justice for all.” 

Named in honor of Northwestern Pritzker Law alumnus US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens (JD ’47), the Foundation administers the Stevens Fellowship, originally created at the Law School in 1997 to support law students who spend the summer working in otherwise unpaid public interest law internships. The Fellowship Program reflects Justice Stevens’ deep belief that a dynamic and effective justice system depends on a cadre of trained and committed lawyers committed to public interest work.

For nearly three decades, the Fellowship Program has supported more than 1,100 law students, 73% of whom have gone on to work in the public interest after graduating from law school. In summer 2025, the Fellowship Program will support a cohort of approximately 150 Fellows working in a wide range of public interest placements, serving a variety of communities. They will join a growing community of legal experts and social justice leaders across the country and around the world.

To commemorate the major milestone of supporting more than 1,000 Fellows, the Stevens Foundation created the Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award and invited nominations for the inaugural recipient in 2024. The Distinguished Alumni Fellow Award is designed to continue the intergenerational impact that Justice Stevens had on his law clerks by providing a cash award of $10,000 each year around Justice Stevens’ birthday (April 20) to an Alumni Fellow whose demonstrated professional commitment to public interest honors the Justice’s legacy of supporting democracy, access to justice, and equality. 

As an early Stevens Fellow, Christine Evans received the award in recognition of her many achievements over two decades of serving as a public interest attorney in the United States and internationally. As the Founder and Principal Director of Shared Roots Collective, Evans brings her expertise and knowledge of the criminal legal system, victims’ and gender rights, and issues of sexual harm to her work, tailoring personalized processes for harm survivors who seek accountability and justice outside of traditional legal systems.

In addition to her work at Shared Roots, Christine serves as the Founder/President and chief funding officer of the Evans Family Foundation, which assists Chicago organizations in advocating and providing for access to education and justice. Her commitment to the principles of restorative and transformative justice is further reflected in her teaching as an adjunct professor at the Law School, where she also serves on the Executive Committee of the Law Board.

“We are proud to recognize Christine’s dedication to public interest law and her achievements over the past two decades,” said Teresa Wynn Rosenborough, President and Board of Directors of the Stevens Foundation. “We have no doubt that Justice Stevens would have been equally as proud to celebrate Christine.”

“Christine has 20 years of experience and her expertise in international human rights, the criminal legal system, victims’ and gender rights, and sexual harm enable her to apply unique approaches outside the traditional legal system to this extremely important work in the community and make her a well-deserved recipient of the John Paul Stevens Foundation’s Distinguished Alumni Award,” added Leonard S. Rubinowitz, Professor of Law at Northwestern Pritzker Law.

Prior to starting Shared Roots, Evans served as an attorney at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) for several years. While in law school, Evans was an early recipient (2002) of the Justice John Paul Stevens Public Interest Fellowship and worked at the International Justice Mission (IJM), where she focused on human rights and legal advocacy to combat violence and systemic injustice worldwide. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University, and a graduate certification in Restorative Justice from Eastern Mennonite University.