Seventeen legal aid attorneys recently participated in an interactive two-day program on designing and delivering effective trainings offered by the CBF Legal Aid Academy. David Cruickshank from Edge International, an expert in legal skills education, presented the program, generously hosted by Seyfarth Shaw LLP. This unique program incorporated various teaching techniques (buzz groups, pairs, pyramids, etc.) into the training itself so that participants were not just learning the techniques, they were practicing them as well. During the program, every participant created a template for a new training and came away with invaluable tips on how to improve all of their programs going forward. Participants can now more effectively provide training to pro bono attorneys, within their organizations, and to the community. This program will have far-reaching impact in our pro bono and legal aid community participants reported that they would collectively train more than 9,400 people next year and that they would be using what they learned at this program to develop their training programs.
This program was made possible through the generous support of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, the CBF, and The Chicago Bar Association.