Our Blog
Cy Pres Awards Continue to Make a Big Impact Through the CBF
The Robot Lawyers are Coming?
Amy Manning of McGuireWoods LLP to Chair 2023 Investing in Justice Campaign
Welcome Roya and Congrats Samoane!
Right-sizing “Right to Counsel” for Eviction and Other Civil Cases
March 25, 2021
Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should, and Just Because We Should Can Never Again Mean We Can’t—Part Two
Doing a sequel is a fraught exercise. For every classic movie like the “The Godfather” or “Die Hard” that nailed it a second time, there are many more examples like “Caddyshack” and “Airplane” where an ill-advised sequel did no justice to the original masterpiece.
With knowledge of that risk, it feels particularly timely to do a follow-up to my post last May, one of the more popular ones in Bobservations history (a low bar, yes). It has only become clearer over the past ten months how critical it will be for remote access to remain a central feature of the court system for the long haul. At the same time, however, we have also learned some things during that time that will be key to making a hybrid system work effectively.
Tags: Courts | Future of the Profession | Legal Innovation read more ...March 24, 2021
Illinois Immigration Funder Collaborative Continues to Strengthen Our Community
Since its inception in 2012, the Illinois Immigration Funder Collaborative (IFC) has grown from a handful of founders to more than 20 foundation partners and has made more than $12 million in grants to serve immigrants throughout Illinois, and the CBF is proud to have been there from the start.
The IFC was formed in 2012 […]
Tags: Legal Aid Funding read more ...March 24, 2021
Our Heartfelt Thanks to Dina!
The end of March will mark the end of the era at the CBF when our longtime Associate Director Dina Merrell moves on from Chicago and from the CBF after a truly amazing 16+ year run.
Our friends and partners at CARPLS did a great tribute to Dina this month that included great quotes from many […]
Tags: CBF Staff read more ...March 15, 2021
JEP Applications are Now Open
The CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP) is seeking entrepreneurial and social justice-minded applicants for its next class of participants who will begin the program in June 2021.
Interested in obtaining the skills and resources necessary to build an innovative and successful law practice? Interested in making a positive impact on your community as a social entrepreneur? The JEP is an […]
Tags: JEP read more ...March 15, 2021
New Supreme Court Rule Expands the Use of Electronic Signatures
When the pandemic arrived last March, we quickly learned how much could be done remotely – remote court, remote school, remote happy hour. However, the pandemic also shined a light on some of the outdated court rules and procedures that prevented basic tasks from working well remotely.
One stark example was the limits on the use of electronic signatures on court documents. In the best of times, this would be an inefficient roadblock to access to the courts, but during the pandemic, it often forced people to put their own health and the health of others at risk or be effectively shut out of the system even in matters that could be critical to their safety and independence.
Tags: Courts | Future of the Profession | Pro Se Advisory Committee read more ...March 3, 2021
Gil Soffer to Chair 2021 Investing in Justice Campaign
The CBF is excited to announce that Gil Soffer, managing partner at Katten Muchin & Rosenman LLP, will lead the CBF’s 15th 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 […]
Tags: Investing in Justice Campaign read more ...February 24, 2021
Start With Why
You may recognize that as the title of one of the all-time great business books by Simon Sinek. While I highly recommend the book if you have not read it (as well as his TED Talk on the subject), I borrowed his title for this month’s post, because it offers a great roadmap for the next chapter in my 2021 Resolution series: building a better new normal for offices, conferences, and trainings.
Tags: Future of the Profession read more ...February 22, 2021
Thank You Elena and Good Luck!
February brought the bittersweet news that our Director of Development & Communications, Elena Dennis, is going to be leaving us at the end of the month for a new position with LINK Unlimited Scholars. LINK Unlimited is an impressive organization helping African American youth to succeed in high school and beyond, and Elena will have […]
Tags: CBF Staff read more ...February 15, 2021
2020 Selected Legal Aid Highlights
In January, the Chicago Bar Association Legal Aid Committee celebrated the impressive achievements of 25+ legal aid organizations here in the Chicagoland area in 2020. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, these dedicated institutions have demonstrated tremendous innovation and have continued to serve the legal needs of underrepresented communities.
Tags: Legal Aid Committee | Legal Aid Organizations | Success! read more ...January 26, 2021
Cy Pres Awards Continue to Advance Access to Justice Through the CBF
Cy pres awards have played a big part in the CBF’s growth and impact over the years, and this past year was no exception. These awards come from residual funds in class action cases (and sometimes other types of proceedings) that, for any number of reasons, are unclaimed or cannot be distributed to the class […]
Tags: Cy Pres read more ...