October 17, 2025
Five leaders in the Chicago legal community who have demonstrated extraordinary integrity and service throughout their careers were recognized at the annual Justice John Paul Stevens Awards Luncheon earlier this month. Often described as the “hall of fame” for outstanding Chicago lawyers and judges, the 2025 recipients are:
- Aurora Austriaco, Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel, P.C.
- John Bouman, Legal Action Chicago
- Hon. Virginia M. Kendall, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- Michael Lufrano, Chicago Cubs
- Prof. Michael Seng, University of Illinois Chicago Law School
The Justice John Paul Stevens Award was conceived by Justice Stevens’ former law clerks and was first presented by the CBA and CBF in September of 2000. The award honors Justice Stevens, a Chicago native, for his lifetime effort to improve the profession and the justice system and is awarded annually to attorneys who best exemplify Justice Stevens’ commitment to integrity and public service in the practice of law.
You can view the program and hear all the winners’ inspiring remarks here.