Chicago native, Vanessa A. Gebka is an associate attorney at Levinson and Stefani. Before becoming a licensed attorney, Vanessa served as a law clerk at Levinson and Stefani for almost two years. She has been involved in helping clients who have been harmed her entire legal career and is extremely dedicated to obtaining justice for her clients.
Education
Vanessa, a first-generation lawyer, earned her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. While in law school, Vanessa was a member of the Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Team where she wrote appellate briefs and presented oral arguments before a panel of judges. She was also a Student Clinician in Loyola’s Civitas ChildLaw Clinic where she served as a child representative and guardian ad litem, representing children in cases involving abuse and/or neglect, as well as representing those in child custody disputes.
Prior to her law school career, Vanessa attended Triton College where she earned her Associate Degree before transferring to Northern Illinois University. While at Triton, Vanessa was a member of the Ethics Bowl Team and Model Illinois Government. She also managed to obtain an internship with The Office of the Cook County Public Guardian: Juvenile Division, becoming the first undergraduate intern in the program. Vanessa went on to graduate from Northern Illinois University, Cum Laude, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology and certificate in Criminology. At NIU, she was a member of the university’s Mock Trial Program where she would present trials before judges, deliver opening and closing statements, as well as, conduct direct and cross-examinations. Additionally, Vanessa was a member of the university’s Honors Program and published her Honors Capstone Project titled “Sexual Assault in Universities.”
Personal
In her free time, Vanessa loves to bake (her signature dish is a classic Philadelphia cheesecake) and play volleyball. She also loves spending time with her family, especially when she gets to take her little brother to sports games. Vanessa adores dogs and enjoys spoiling her Border Collie/Jack Russell Terrier, Luna.