Our Blog
Our Profession’s Losing Battle Against the Market
Seeding Innovation in the Practice of Law
CBF Grants: A Legacy of Impact
The CBF Marovitz Scholarship: Helping Future Legal Aid Leaders
A Pro Bono Checklist for Success
August 15, 2018
Our Profession’s Losing Battle Against the Market
By any definition, we have a failure in the market for legal services for everyday people today, and a growing one at that. We have more lawyers than ever before at the same time as record numbers of people who need or would benefit from legal help are not getting it. Yet when faced with proposed changes to the Rules of Professional Conduct to address this market failure, the default response of our profession is to fight to maintain a losing status quo—perhaps making some technical changes but avoiding the larger issues.
Lipstick on a pig, as the saying goes, when what we really need is a new regulatory approach that does not force lawyers to compete in the market with one hand tied behind their backs.
Tags: Future of the Profession | Legal innovation read more ...August 14, 2018
Seeding Innovation in the Practice of Law
Flash back to 2010, a time few of us would look back on fondly. Our legal community was in the full throes of the recession, with the job market for newer lawyers in tatters and more people than ever in need of legal help yet unable to get it.
“Never let a good crisis go to waste” was a quote often heard from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel around the time, and the CBF did not. The CBF saw a prime opportunity to tackle this growing dysfunction in the legal market and began the work that ultimately led to the launch of the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project in early 2013.
Tags: CBF 70th Anniversary | JEP read more ...August 10, 2018
CBF Grants: A Legacy of Impact
In the 70 years since its founding, the CBF has given out nearly $50 million in grants to support pro bono, legal aid and related initiatives, and more than $42 million since 1999.
Over that time, the CBF has honed its grantmaking focus around access to justice and expanded its grantmaking partnerships with other foundations, the courts, and government entities. More than 5,200 individual donors, more than 200 law firms, corporations and other law-related organizations, and the CBF’s many dedicated partners have enabled the CBF to increase our annual grants more than tenfold over the past 20 years. Today, the CBF awards over $2 million in grants, investing in the entire pro bono and legal aid system in our community.
Tags: CBF 70th Anniversary | Grants | Legal Aid Funding | Legal Aid Organizations read more ...August 8, 2018
The CBF Marovitz Scholarship: Helping Future Legal Aid Leaders
“Everybody can’t do big things, but we all can do little things that help others.”
That phrase was one of the trademarks of the late Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, both in word and deed. Throughout his distinguished life and career, Judge Marovitz, or “Judge Abe” to the many who knew him, was a firm believer that financial need should not be a bar to dedicated young students who want to pursue careers in public service.
As we celebrate the CBF’s 70th Anniversary, we look back to a “little thing” Judge Marovitz did to help aspiring law students pursue their dreams of helping others–the CBF Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Law School Scholarship. First awarded in 2004, the Marovitz Scholarship was made possible by a generous planned gift by Judge Marovitz.
Tags: CBF 70th Anniversary | Fellowships & Scholarships | Marovitz Scholarship read more ...August 6, 2018
A Pro Bono Checklist for Success
A good pro bono program takes work to develop, maintain, and improve. It requires a lot of planning to ensure it meets the needs of the client population, fills a gap in existing resources, and incorporates feedback from all stakeholders. It should have clear criteria for screening cases and a plan for periodic review and adjustment to reflect changes in the community, the law, or the courts.
If that sounds like a lot to think about, that’s because it is. Fortunately, the CBF has created a tool to help organizations looking to establish new pro bono programs to think through these and the many other issues that are critical to designing and implementing a successful program.
Tags: CBF 70th Anniversary | Pro Bono | Resources read more ...August 3, 2018
Young Professionals Dive in at the CBF
Young legal professionals today are busier than ever. Between balancing challenging work obligations and growing families, we’re grateful for the dedication of some of our best ambassadors: the members of the CBF’s Young Professionals Board (YPB).
Tags: CBF 70th Anniversary | Young Professionals Board read more ...August 2, 2018
CBA Legal Aid Committee: Sometimes You Want to Go Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Of the 100+ committees that the Chicago Bar Association provides, an attorney is sure to find a place to call home among like-minded professionals in their field. The legal aid community is no exception.
The CBF is proud to partner with and staff the CBA Legal Aid Committee, bringing together representatives from pro bono and legal aid organizations to address topics of common interest and to share information with one another. The Committee also works to further the understanding that each legal aid organization is part of a broader network in order to encourage collaboration and foster a sense of community.
Tags: Legal Aid Committee | Legal Aid Organizations read more ...August 2, 2018
Justice 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!
Tags: Apply or Nominate | JEP read more ...July 31, 2018
A Friendly Guide in the Courthouse Maze
Through the CBF’s work to make the courts more user-friendly and accessible for the growing number of people without lawyers, it became clear that court patrons often have a more immediate challenge than the legal issue that brought them there. People coming to court on their own often have a difficult time navigating a building […]
Tags: CBF 70th Anniversary | Court Help Desks | Courts | Pro Se read more ...July 27, 2018
Summer Fun with the CBF Young Professionals Board
A Chicago summer is short, but there’s always time for hanging out with friends and enjoying the weather while it lasts. In our first 70 years at the CBF, one of our key goals in bringing Chicago’s legal community together around our common cause of equal access to justice always has been to have fun […]
Tags: CBF 70th Anniversary | Events | Young Professionals Board read more ...