Our Blog

August 1, 2019

JEPJustice Entrepreneurs Project Accepting Applications

Are you a newer lawyer interested in obtaining the skills and resources necessary to build an innovative and successful law practice? Are you interested in making a positive impact on your community as a social entrepreneur? If yes, consider applying to the Justice Entrepreneurs Project!

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July 30, 2019

What’s Your Story?

When someone asks us what we do as lawyers and legal professionals, what story do we tell them? Do we frame the answer in the loftier ideals of our profession and the good we do in the world, or in the day-to-day grind that the practice of law sometimes can feel like?

That question was the driving force behind the selection of this year’s theme song at the CBA and CBF’s 21st Annual Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon last week, The Story by Brandi Carlile.

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July 30, 2019

CBF Welcomes New Board President and Members

The CBF is excited to welcome Steven A. Weiss as our 38th Board President for the 2019-2020 term. A Partner and Co-Leader of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice Group at Honigman LLP, Steve provides advice on a wide variety of business litigation issues for companies and business people.

Steve has a strong commitment to […]

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July 30, 2019

Congrats and Thanks to Justice Mason!

There was a significant milestone in our legal community last week: Justice Mary Anne Mason retired from the bench after a stellar 19-year career as a Judge, first in the Circuit Court of Cook County and since 2013 on the Illinois Appellate Court.

The Appellate Lawyers Association was among many paying tribute to Justice Mason’s […]

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July 23, 2019

2019 Pro Bono & Public Service Award RecipientsHonoring Careers of Dedication and Service

Seven attorneys recognized for outstanding work at the CBA and CBF Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon

Seven unsung heroes in the legal profession were recognized and celebrated for their extraordinary service to our community at The Chicago Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Foundation’s 21st Annual Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon on July 23, 2019.

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June 26, 2019

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Jim Harbaugh came through town last week, but not on a recruiting trip for Michigan. He was here in his role as a member of the Leaders Council for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), where he joined in a fitting tribute to LSC’s board chair and long-time champion for the cause, John Levi.

In the course of his heartfelt toast to Levi, Coach Harbaugh used a football analogy to illustrate what it means when someone has to fend for themselves in a contested court case: it is like a game where one team has to play without helmets and pads. You don’t have to stretch your imagination to recognize that team would get routed and end up with some serious injuries.

I thought this was a great analogy that most everyday Americans can connect to and understand, and it also offers an interesting framework for tackling the broader barriers to equal access to justice.

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June 26, 2019

New Incubator Launches in Colorado with Helping Hand from the CBF

Earlier this month, the CBF and our Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP) gained a new partner in the cause with the official launch of the Legal Entrepreneurs for Justice (LEJ) incubator in Denver.

Over the years since the CBF developed and launched the JEP, one of our goals for the program has been to identify successful […]

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May 30, 2019

Investing in Justice Campaign Sets New Record, Leverages Hundreds of Thousands More

Tens of thousands of people in need will receive critical legal assistance thanks to more than 5,200 individual contributors at 150 participating firms, companies and organizations

The Chicago Bar Foundation is proud to announce record-breaking results for the 2019 Investing in Justice Campaign. More than 5,200 individuals joined together to contribute $1.56 million, the highest amount […]

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May 24, 2019

Celebrating Ten Years of A+ Training

For the past ten years, the CBF Legal Aid Academy has provided free, high-quality training and professional development opportunities for hundreds of legal aid attorneys to develop valuable skills so that they can better serve our community. With the help of generous pro bono contributions of time and expertise from attorneys, law firms, and CLE providers, the Academy has been able to continuously provide these professional development opportunities for Chicago’s legal aid community.

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May 23, 2019

The Affordability Action Plan

Over the course of the past several months, I’ve used this blog to discuss four big issues our legal profession needs to address to carry out my 2019 Resolution: to tackle our affordability problem for everyday people. The common denominator on these issues is that the solutions to making legal services more affordable and accessible to the middle class are almost entirely within our power as a profession and court system. 

To paraphrase a famous saying, we have met the enemy, and it is us. The following, interconnected action plan can help us defeat that enemy and strike a major blow for access to justice in the process.

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