A handful of students will get a chance to represent inmates in federal civil rights lawsuits through a new program this fall at Northern Illinois University College of Law.NIU and the Federal Bar Association’s P. Michael Mahoney Chapter in Rockford have partnered to create the Prisoners’ Rights Project, a program which allows third-year law students to handle cases in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois’ Rockford courthouse throughout the academic year.Advised by Rockford attorney …