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The Way Back to Springfield and Washington

Innovation and Access to Justice—Part One

Investing in Justice: Giving People the Peace of Mind They Deserve

A Message from Investing in Justice Campaign Chair Carrie Di Santo

Learn What Value Means to Today’s Legal Consumers at The Future Is Now
September 17, 2020
JEP Helps Small Businesses Navigate the Pandemic
As small businesses wrestle with the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic, the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP) hosted a free virtual workshop for the small businesses in the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce earlier this month. “Ask JEP: Navigating Legal Relationships in a Time of COVID” was designed to help these businesses understand and respond […]
Tags: JEP read more ...September 16, 2020
New Illinois JusticeCorps Court Information Helpline Launches
The Illinois JusticeCorps program is proud to announce the launch of its new Court Information Helpline – a phone resource created to aid people without lawyers trying to access the courts during the ongoing pandemic. The helpline now serves as one central location for unrepresented litigants to call for legal information and resource referrals for […]
Tags: Courts | JusticeCorps | Self-Help Resources read more ...August 18, 2020
Lessons from Within
My New Year’s Resolution for our legal profession this year was to make law better by looking to what we can learn from other professions and industries, and as I explored further over the past few months, there is no shortage of material on that front.
As we look at ways we can better and more sustainably serve the public, there also are a number of lessons we can learn from the areas of the legal services market that are functioning reasonably well for lawyers and clients today.
Tags: Future of the Profession | Legal Innovation | Legal Regulation | Task Force read more ...August 17, 2020
Tackling the Student Debt Crisis with a Comprehensive and Long-Term Solution
As the CBF continues to support efforts to protect the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and to enact meaningful COVID-19 student debt relief measures, we also have ramped up our advocacy for a more comprehensive solution to the student debt crisis.
In the last few months, we’ve been fortunate to work with an incredible team of pro bono attorneys—led by Erin Turley and Allison Wilkerson at McDermott Will & Emery and David Whaley at Thompson Hine LLP–who have done great work turning the CBF’s proposals and ideas into actual legislative language.
Tags: Advocacy | Student Debt Reform read more ...August 14, 2020
Supreme Court Rule 139: New Eviction Rule Benefits Tenants, Landlords, and Courts
Imagine being asked to go to court to defend yourself, but without knowing exactly what you are defending yourself against. This situation was all too common for many tenants in Illinois until the recent adoption of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 139. Rule 139 now requires plaintiff landlords to attach a copy of the eviction termination notice and any relevant lease provisions…
Tags: Access to Justice Commission | Courts | Pro Se Advisory Committee read more ...July 22, 2020
CBA/CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation Releases Report and Recommendations for Public Comment
The Chicago Bar Association and Chicago Bar Foundation Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation officially released its report and recommendations for public comment today.
The problem the Task Force seeks to address in a nutshell is an untenable failure in the legal market: at the same time we have more lawyers practicing than ever before, more people than ever before are going without legal help. Dozens of lawyers and legal professionals from diverse backgrounds across the legal community in Illinois and beyond have worked diligently over the past nine months to tackle these issues and develop a comprehensive series of recommendations for regulatory reform.
Tags: Future of the Profession | Legal Innovation | Legal Regulation | Press Releases | Task Force read more ...July 20, 2020
Where’s the Proof?
This is a common refrain from the naysayer crowd when the subject of regulatory reform and access to justice is raised. And we can be sure we will hear it when the CBA and CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation releases its report and recommendations for public comment this week.
From the beginning of time, this has been the anthem of all who fear change and resist progress. It is a misguided question because, after all, how can you prove something that has not happened yet? When the question is properly framed in this context, however, it turns out there actually is lots of proof that underscores the urgent need for regulatory reform.
Tags: Future of the Profession | Legal Innovation | Legal Regulation | Task Force read more ...July 16, 2020
Groundbreaking New Research Report Shows that Legal Assistance Has a Broad Range of Impacts on Case Outcomes and Court Efficiency
A new research report based on a comprehensive study in California shows that access to civil legal aid has a broad range of significant positive impacts. Specifically, the report underscores that access to legal assistance improved case outcomes, significantly increased perceptions of fairness, and…
Tags: Courts | Legal Aid read more ...July 15, 2020
CBF/Circuit Court Pro Se Advisory Committee Recommends Changes to Make Remote Court Services More Accessible and Efficient
The Circuit Court of Cook County reopened on Monday, July 6 after being largely closed to the public for over three months. In anticipation of some of the unique challenges self-represented litigants will face in this new environment, the CBF/Circuit Court Pro Se Advisory Committee made several recommendations…
Tags: Courts | Pro Se Advisory Committee | Remote Access read more ...July 14, 2020
First Virtual CBA and CBF Pro Bono Awards Celebration
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 22nd annual but first virtual Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Celebration on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.
Tags: Pro Bono | Pro Bono & Public Service Awards Luncheon read more ...