A message from Sean Berkowitz, 2020 Investing in Justice Campaign Chair
Thanks to your dedicated leadership, I am pleased to announce outstanding results for this year’s Investing in Justice Campaign despite the unprecedented circumstances we all find ourselves facing today. At a time when it is needed more than ever, more than 4,200 attorneys and legal professionals from 151 law firms and companies came together to raise over $1.3 million. And I know many are still contributing as I write this, and those numbers will only go up before the end of the year.
Your leadership will help many thousands of people in our community get the legal help they need and can make all the difference in their lives. While the deck was stacked us against given the effects of the pandemic, I am tremendously proud of the collective impact our legal community continues to make through our financial support of legal aid organizations and the people who depend on them. In addition to the money we raised directly, these funds will leverage, through the CBF’s grant process, more than $700,000 in additional funding to help those who are most impacted by the ongoing pandemic. That means the Campaign again will make more than $2 million in grants and other support for this work possible, something we all can be very proud of right now.
I particularly want to recognize and thank the firms and companies who were still able to set new internal records for your campaigns despite all of the unique challenges everyone faced this year. You and others who made this year’s Campaign honor roll deserve a special thanks from all of us for leading the way this year and proving that success was possible even in this difficult environment.
Since its inception in 2007, the Campaign has raised more than $18.5 million – and leveraged millions more – to fund a continuum of legal services for low- and middle-income people in need, ranging from web-based resources, help desks, and legal aid hotlines to market-based solutions, extended legal representation, and large-scale impact litigation and advocacy. The tens of thousands of people each year receiving services made possible by the Campaign are individuals with disabilities, the elderly, veterans, children, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants fleeing persecution and abuse, and many other people in need.
The past few months have certainly not been what I imagined leading this effort would look like, but thanks to all of you, we are still making it possible for many thousands of Chicagoans to access critical legal help at a time when it is more important than ever. I have been so honored to work with all of you and want to offer my most sincere thanks for your leadership, generosity, and commitment to the cause and to our community.
With gratitude,
Sean Berkowitz
Chair, Investing in Justice Campaign
Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP