Our Blog

July 25, 2022

New Study Highlights Challenges and Opportunities for Legal Aid Lawyers and Their Organizations

A comprehensive new study of the legal aid community in Illinois conducted by Mercer for the CBF gives a sobering yet inspiring view of what it is like to be a legal aid lawyer today and what we can do to better support these dedicated lawyers and those interested in pursuing these vital careers in […]

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July 21, 2022

jep logoCongratulations to our 2022 JEPY Award Winners!

On June 14, 2022, stars of the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project, friends, family, and community partners gathered to celebrate innovative practices, expanded access to legal services, and lawyering with panache at Midwest Coast Brewing Company. The big winners of the night were: 

  • Innovation in Legal Service Delivery: Chicago Consumer Law Center, P.C. (Rob Harrer) 
  • You Don’t Know Until […]
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    June 22, 2022

    An Innovation Playbook for Access to Justice

    By Bob Glaves | CBF Executive Director

    Over the past several posts, I’ve given an overview of innovation and talked about when it does and does not make sense in the quest to improve access to justice. For all the ways technology plays a key role (though often not in the ways we might first think), […]

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    June 22, 2022

    Welcome, Mehroz & Natalie!

    This summer, the CBF is fortunate enough to work with two spectacular interns and externs: Mehroz Mohammed and Natalie Byrnes.

    Mehroz is a rising 2L at the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign/Urbana who is doing her externship with the CBF as part of the school’s Racial Justice Practicum. She wants to become a […]

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    June 20, 2022

    Three More Trailblazing Attorneys Join JEP Network

    On June 6th, the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project welcomed its nineteenth cohort into the program. These three attorneys— Nick Hafen, Kadijah Hall, and Braden Tilghman —are eager to start innovative, socially conscious firms focused on helping people in the middle market access affordable legal help. The new JEPers join over 60 attorneys currently in the […]

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    June 17, 2022

    Joseph Dailing (1943-2022)

    The CBF mourns the passing of Joe Dailing, a longtime leader in legal aid and access to justice efforts and a great friend and colleague to all who were lucky enough to work with him.

    Joe was a trailblazing leader, serving as the founding Executive Director of Prairie State Legal Services for almost 30 years and […]

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    June 10, 2022

    CBF Op-Ed Featured in Crain’s Chicago Business Equity Series

    As part of their ongoing Equity series, which this month focuses on law, Crain’s Chicago Business is featuring an op-ed from several CBF leaders to emphasize the commitment and responsibility of our legal community to lead the way on ensuring the justice system is fair, equitable, and accessible to all Chicagoans.

    Read the Crain’s Op-Ed…

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    May 26, 2022

    Innovation, Part 2: It’s Not Just About Technology

    There are many myths and misconceptions about innovation, and one of the biggest is conflating the term with technology. As I talked about in last month’s part 1 of this post, technology indeed has a huge role in innovation, though not always in the way we might first think.

    However, innovation is far more than technology. […]

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    May 26, 2022

    aba logoCBF Featured at Annual Equal Justice Conference

    The ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference, the principal gathering for the many partners working on access to justice issues around the country, was held earlier this month in Minneapolis, and CBF programs were prominently on display.

    “Effective Strategies for Serving Clients Above the Legal Aid Income Eligibility Level, Just Don’t Call It Low Bono”

    This session focused on […]

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    May 26, 2022

    Passport to Chicago a Big Success at Its New Home!

    Nearly 150 people in our legal community and beyond came together last week for the 9th annual Passport to Chicago event at a new venue, Dr. Murphy’s Food Hall. Located in the historic Old Cook County Hospital building, Dr. Murphy’s features a diverse range of independently-owned local food […]

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