Our Blog

May 26, 2020

Illinois Supreme Court Enters Order Supporting CARES Act Housing Protections

The CBF and its partners in the legal aid community helped advocate for a Supreme Court Order based on the protections for tenants outlined in the federal CARES Act. Under the Act, landlords are required to wait until after July 25 to issue any eviction notices to renters in housing units that are part of […]

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May 26, 2020

Illinois Supreme Court Adopts New Rule and Policy Encouraging Remote Court Appearances

Through its ongoing partnership with the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice, the CBF helped draft the new Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Remote Court Appearances in Civil Proceedings and Supreme Court Rule 45.

The CBF has long advocated for increased remote access to the court system seeing the benefits that simple technologies can […]

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May 21, 2020

Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should, and Just Because We Should Can Never Again Mean We Can’t

That deliberately challenging title could apply to most things in our lives as we (hopefully) start returning to a semblance of normal in the coming weeks. My focus here is specifically on our courts and legal profession as the conversations about how to reopen the system get started. As much as the pandemic exposed the flaws and limitations of the system when it hit, there have been some impressive adaptations since then, and we have a unique moment in time to shape a much better future for the courts, our profession, and access to justice.

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May 18, 2020

Virtual Passport to Chicago Turns Up the Heat

On Friday, May 15, the CBF hosted a virtual Passport to Chicago event in partnership with The Chopping Block. Chef Sara led our guests through a cooking demonstration of Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Enchiladas with Ranchero Sauce and Refried Beans, teaching a variety of useful knife and other culinary skills in the process. If […]

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May 17, 2020

Legal Aid Needs Law Firm Support Now More Than Ever

This op-ed appeared in Law360 on May 17, 2020.

By Jeffrey Stone | McDermott Will & Emery LLP

As the coronavirus pandemic has turned our entire world upside down over these past few weeks, it has been heartwarming to see the way so many have stepped up to help the people who are most impacted. Bringing groceries to an elderly neighbor, supporting food pantries that are suddenly seeing a surge in demand, and doing a little extra to support our favorite local restaurants and their employees are just a few of many examples.

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May 15, 2020

JEP Welcomes New Cohort of Socially-Conscious Attorneys

On May 4, the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project welcomed its fifteenth cohort into the program. These six attorneys—Veronica Canton, Sergio Juwa, Seth McCormick, Ashley Rodriguez, Kimber Russell and Salam Zaidan—are eager to take on the immense challenges and need created by COVID-19 by starting innovative and socially conscious practices helping low- and middle-income people and […]

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May 13, 2020

Illinois Legal Aid Online

Illinois Legal Aid Online has seen an 1000% increase in the use of their resources during the pandemic. You can use your skills and experience to ensure that the content being provided is up to date and accurate. All work can be done remotely and on your own schedule. Contact Andrew Sharp to get started.

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May 6, 2020

Help an Outstanding Attorney Get Some Well-Deserved Recognition

The CBA and CBF are accepting nominations through May 8, 2017 for the Chicago legal community’s prestigious pro bono and public service awards. These awards celebrate exemplary members of the legal profession who have used their talents and resources to improve access to justice for the less fortunate in our community. The recipients will be honored at the CBA and CBF’s Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon on July 17.

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April 30, 2020

sentative Jan SchakowskyCBF Goes to Washington (Virtually)

It’s that time of year again when the CBF would normally be joining advocacy forces with leaders from the CBA, ISBA, and ABA for the annual ABA Day in Washington. This year, we brought the advocacy home through a number of productive virtual meetings with our Illinois delegation (Congresswoman Schakowsky pictured here!).

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April 22, 2020

A time for Chicago’s legal community to lead

This letter appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business on April 22, 2020.

More than ever, we need to step up for our community’s dedicated pro bono and legal aid organizations and the people who depend on them.

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