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The CBF is Hiring a New Associate Director for Grants & COO

A Wellness Action Plan to (Re)Start 2021

2021 Resolution: Don’t Let the Hard-Earned Lessons of 2020 Go to Waste

Upcoming CBF Student Debt Briefing

CBF Joins Cook County, Circuit Court, and Other Partners to Launch Groundbreaking Program for Eviction and Consumer Debt Cases
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 ...July 2, 2020
Judge Dorothy Kirie Kinnaird (1949 – 2020)
The CBF mourns the sudden passing of Judge Dorothy Kirie Kinnaird. Throughout her career, Judge Kinnaird worked to make our justice system more fair, accessible, and efficient for all. She believed deeply in serving others and dedicated countless hours to improving the legal profession and access to the courts, exemplified by her exemplary leadership service […]
Tags: CBF Supporters read more ...June 16, 2020
Making Law Better By Looking Outside of Law—The Wrap
When I kicked off my 2020 Resolution for the Legal Profession series back in December, to say the world looked different from today would be the understatement of the century. But for everything else that can be said about how much things have changed in just a matter of months, the central point of the resolution—that there is much our legal profession can learn by looking at other professions and industries—has only become more apparent.
The way we do business in law already was not working well for the average person or for the lawyers trying to serve the consumer legal market, and other professions and industries were far ahead of us in modernizing their business practices. As we all adapt to the new normal where more people than ever need legal help and where remote, multichannel access will forevermore be a fundamental part of our lives, it is even more urgent for our legal profession to look beyond ourselves for solutions.
Tags: Future of the Profession | Legal Innovation | Legal Regulation | Task Force read more ...June 16, 2020
CBA/CBF Task Force Preparing to Release Draft Report for Public Comment
The CBA/CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation is putting the final touches on a comprehensive report and recommendations for modernizing our regulatory framework for the business of law. The product of nine months of hard work by dozens of dedicated volunteers working on five committees, the next step is to share […]
Tags: Legal Innovation | Legal Regulation | Sustainable Practices | Task Force read more ...June 2, 2020
A Time for Our Legal Community to Reflect and Act
The CBF joins The Chicago Bar Association in standing with all who seek justice for George Floyd and echoes the words of CBA President Jesse Ruiz.
The events of the past week have underscored how far our country remains from achieving the fundamental American ideal that we all stand equal before the law. Communities of color continue to experience the legal system in different ways than everyone else, and too often with deadly consequences, as the whole world has seen with the death of George Floyd and too many others.
Tags: CBA read more ...