News Tag: Advocacy

May 14, 2021

CBF Takes a Virtual Trip to Washington to Advocate for Access to Justice

Each spring, the CBF works with leaders from the CBA, Illinois State Bar Association, and American Bar Association to meet with our Illinois congressional delegation and their hardworking staff to discuss important access to justice issues that require federal solutions.

Until last year, these meetings have always been held in person in Washington, but pandemic restrictions […]

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January 25, 2021

student debt proposal overviewSustainable Solutions to the Student Debt Crisis

Amidst the welcome national attention and commitments in the new Administration and Congress to tackle the student debt crisis, the CBF held a briefing this month to discuss long-term and sustainable solutions to this overarching problem.

As recent law graduates are fully aware, lawyers often leave school with significant amounts of debt. For those choosing higher-paying […]

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December 18, 2020

Upcoming CBF Student Debt Briefing

Want to learn more about the student debt crisis and the CBF’s comprehensive proposal to tackle it as momentum grows for action at the federal level? Join us on Wednesday, January 13th at 2 p.m. to hear from the stellar pro bono drafting team about the tenets of the CBF’s proposed reforms, how the CBF package compares to other proposals, […]

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August 17, 2020

congressman schneider meetingTackling 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.

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May 26, 2020

illinois supreme court roomIllinois 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 courtIllinois 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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April 30, 2020

representative 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

Take Action: Support LSC Funding in Face of Critical Need

The COVID-19 pandemic has already increased the need for help with the everyday legal issues that the organizations funded by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) assist with, including evictions, unemployment, access to healthcare, scams aimed at the elderly, and domestic violence. With other major funding sources under severe stress at state and local levels at […]

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January 23, 2020

inaugural rock cullerton awardGovernor Pritzker, Chief Justice Burke and Other Leaders Help Inaugurate CBA/CBF Rock Cullerton Access to Justice Award

All three branches of government came together at the Chicago Bar Association this week as Governor Pritzker, Chief Justice Burke, and new Senate President Don Harmon were among those who helped honor retiring Senate President John Cullerton and inaugurate the new CBA/CBF Rock Cullerton Access to Justice Award.