Kevin M. Zielinski obtained his Juris Doctor degree in May 2025 from Southern Illinois University - Simmons Law School. During his third year of law school, Mr. Zielinski served as the President of the Federalist Society Chapter, leading a significant increase in the organization’s active membership by over 4,000%. His efforts earned his chapter a runner-up FEDI-Award for Most Improved Chapter.
Beginning in March 2024, Mr. Zielinski collaborated with the Jackson County State’s Attorneyand Assistant State’s Attorneys, both within and outside the courtroom, during a Public Interest Externship for a nine-month period after earning his Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 License.
During his final semester of law school (Spring 2025), Mr. Zielinski was recommended by Professor Chris Behan – esteemed Professor of Criminal Law, Legal Profession, Evidence, Criminal Procedure, and Senior Writing Seminar – to embark on collaborative endeavor with an alumnus SIU Law. This partnership was established with Crossroad Legal LLC, a small Illinois-based firm that specializes in Second Amendment litigation. During his tenure at Crossroad Legal LLC, Mr. Zielinski diligently applied his expertise in legal writing and research to safeguard the Second Amendment rights of Illinois citizens who have encountered challenges in obtaining or maintaining their Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) cards, FOID and/or Concealed Carry License (CCL) licenses, or have had these licenses suspended or revoked in Illinois.
Currently, Mr. Zielinski remains actively involved in the Federalist Society’s Lawyers Division and the Criminal Law and Procedure Law Practice Group, where he began as the Group's Student Liaison back in September 2024. His contributions include in-depth reviews of Supreme Court decisions pertaining to substantive criminal law and intellectual property.
Following his graduation in May 2025, Mr. Zielinski was recommended by the esteemed legal scholar and civil litigator Daniel R. Suhr (President, Center for American Rights) and was appointed as a legal research fellow at the Institute for Reforming Government (IRG), a conservative legal think tank headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Here, Mr. Zielinski brings his legal writing and research acumen to local government and policy issues affecting citizens of Wisconsin.
Specifically, Mr. Zielinski was named Hamilton Roddis Court Watch Fellow, a role in which he contributes summative and perspective analyses of Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions as they are released. In August, Kevin began a professorship at Southern Illinois University College of Business & Analytics where he teaches undergraduates The Legal and Social Environment of Business (FIN-270).
When he's not working, Prof. Zielinski spends time with his wife Claire and their two dogs as he patiently awaits the results of the July 2025 Illinois Bar Examination.
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