Our Blog

February 14, 2020

JusticeCorps Fellows an Impressive Group

Over ten years ago, the CBF pioneered Illinois JusticeCorps, an innovative program through which courthouse volunteers create a more welcoming and less intimidating environment for people without lawyers. Illinois JusticeCorps volunteers do this by providing navigational assistance, referrals to legal aid and other available services, connections to online resources and court forms, and legal information […]

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February 13, 2020

Make Law Better by Looking Outside of Law—A Medical and Dental Examination

A trip to the doctor or dentist is not something most of us look forward to. But there is much we in law can learn from the evolution of those professions, and that is the next stop in my 2020 Resolution for the Legal Profession journey.

While there is still room for further progress, three ways these professions have improved access include: a continuum of care options with many different entry points, a range of professionals who assist and are known by who they are rather than being called “non-doctors” or “non-dentists,” and a variety of business models for their practices to best meet the needs of both the professionals and their patients.

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February 11, 2020

JEPY Awards Celebrate Innovation

Stars of the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project, friends, supporters and community partners gathered February 10th at Lagunitas Taproom & Brewery to celebrate innovative practices, expanded access to legal services, and lawyering with panache. The 4th Annual JEPY Awards, created by former JEP Director Trevor Clarke, honored the great work JEP attorneys are doing, recognizing attorneys […]

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January 29, 2020

JEP Accepting Applications for Participants

The CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project is seeking entrepreneurial and public interest-minded applicants for its next class of participants who will begin the program in May 2020.

The JEP prepares talented and entrepreneurial lawyers in the Chicago area to build innovative, socially conscious, and sustainable law practices serving low and moderate-income clients. We believe in the power of […]

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January 23, 2020

Governor Pritzker, Chief Justice Burke and Other Leaders Help Inaugurate CBA/CBF Rock Cullerton Access to Justice Award

All three branches of government came together at the Chicago Bar Association this week as Governor Pritzker, Chief Justice Burke, and new Senate President Don Harmon were among those who helped honor retiring Senate President John Cullerton and inaugurate the new CBA/CBF Rock Cullerton Access to Justice Award.

  • Governor Pritzker, Justice Theis, and Senator […]
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    January 21, 2020

    Sean Berkowitz to Chair 2020 Investing in Justice Campaign

    Sean Berkowitz, partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, will lead the CBF’s 14th Annual Investing in Justice Campaign. The Campaign is the CBF’s annual initiative that rallies Chicago’s entire legal community around our common cause of ensuring that everyone has access to necessary legal help, not just people who can afford it. This year’s Campaign will kick off on March 2nd and run throughout the month. Thousands of individual lawyers and legal professionals at more than 150 Chicago-area law firms, corporate legal departments, companies, and other-law related organizations are again expected to be part of the Campaign.

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    January 17, 2020

    Legal Aid Committee—Selected Highlights 2019

    Each year, the CBA’s Legal Aid Committee compiles their program, litigation, and policy highlights from the year before and this year’s booklet is as inspiring as ever! 2019 was a big year for legal aid organizations and the clients they serve—from individual cases where a legal aid attorney saved someone’s home, family, and livelihood, to […]

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    January 14, 2020

    Make Law Better by Looking Outside Law—Retail and Travel Edition

    By Bob Glaves | CBF Executive Director

    With the holiday season just behind us, one thing we all did recently was buy things—often lots of things—and many of us took a year-end trip as well. So it seemed only natural to start my 2020 Resolution for the Legal Profession series by focusing on what […]

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    December 30, 2019

    CBF Seeks JEP Community & Training Manager

    The Justice Entrepreneurs Project Community & Training Manager will be responsible for serving as the point person for and manager of the JEP Network, Managing and continually evaluating the JEP curriculum, mentoring program and knowledge management tools, and developing user-friendly and accessible resources for public education and outreach.  The CBF offers a competitive salary, […]

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    December 16, 2019

    2020 Resolution—Make Law Better by Looking Outside Law

    By Bob Glaves | CBF Executive Director

    One of the common traits of our legal profession is to view ourselves as unique in the world. And that is certainly true to an extent, as the practice of law involves specialized expertise and services that good lawyers are distinctively able to provide.

    But we are […]

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