March 26, 2025
The CBF Legal Aid Academy has a new name – and a new and expanded mission – thanks to the leadership of Steve and Linda Patton and their generous gift of more than $1 million. By providing high-quality training and professional development opportunities for Chicago’s legal aid community, the CBF Patton Legal Aid Training Academy will equip legal aid lawyers and other legal aid professionals to deliver exceptional client service, help them to grow in their careers, and strengthen community ties—all without adding strain to limited legal aid budgets.
“This transformational gift from Steve and Linda will be a big boost for our legal aid community, helping dedicated legal aid lawyers and professionals in the Chicago area to grow in their careers and better serve the people in need they help every day,” said CBF Executive Director Bob Glaves. “Their inspiring commitment is just the latest example of Steve’s exemplary leadership on pro bono and public service throughout his acclaimed legal career and will make a huge impact.”
Given the overwhelming need for their services, legal aid organizations typically operate on overstretched budgets that don’t allow for the same level of training and professional development opportunities that attorneys receive at larger law firms. “These attorneys are motivated by a desire to provide first-rate representation to the many people in our community who cannot afford it,” Steve Patton said. “In doing so, they need – and deserve – the best trial practice and other training and opportunities for professional growth and development available – training and opportunities that will allow them to reach their full professional potential and to provide their clients with the best, most effective representation possible.”
The generous financial support from Steve and Linda Patton will enable the Academy to build on the many prior successes since its launch in 2009 to serve legal aid professionals at every stage of their career, from new lawyers to those in executive leadership. The Academy not only will work to enhance substantive and practice skills, it also will strive to strengthen the essential skills necessary to best serve the needs of their clients. In the upcoming year, the Academy plans to offer training covering everything from deposition and trial skills to presentation skills and setting boundaries with clients.
The success of the Academy lies in its innovative approach, offering programs through two complementary systems: 1) coordinated training, where legal aid staff are invited to participate in existing training programs offered by law firms and other organizations when topics align with their needs; and 2) customized training, wheretailored programs are designed by experts to address the unique challenges faced by legal aid professionals.
“Our objective with this gift is to create a permanent endowment to ensure that the Academy will continue – and expand – this critically important training and support,” Steve and Linda said. “Our hope is that the Academy will not only increase the effectiveness and career satisfaction of current legal aid attorneys but provide a further incentive for recent graduates and new lawyers to choose a career in legal aid, by ensuring that they will receive training and professional development opportunities that not only rival, but exceed, those available at the best private firms.”
To learn more about the CBF Patton Legal Aid Training Academy and how you can help, visit https://chicagobarfoundation.org/legal-aid-academy/ or contact CBF Chief Advocacy & Innovation Officer Roya Samarghandi at rsamarghandi@chicagobarfoundation.org.