News Tag: Pro Bono

October 8, 2021

A Pro Bono Magical Musical Mystery Tour

By Bob Glaves | CBF Executive Director

If you have been to the CBA and CBF Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon in recent years, you know that we start with a song to help set a theme for that year’s event. To my knowledge, none were written with our legal profession in mind, but […]

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August 25, 2021

Redeeming Justice: An Interview with Jarrett Adams about His New Book and An Inspiring Message for Our Legal Community

I first met Jarrett Jarrett Adams in 2012, when he applied for and received the CBF Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Public Interest Law Scholarship. But the traumatic and unsettling experience that drove him to pursue a legal career and do the amazing work he is doing today started much earlier.

Now a successful lawyer focused on helping others who have been wrongfully convicted, he has written a book coming out on September 14 about his experience. Redeeming Justice is a stirring memoir that appropriately features this teaser on the cover: “From Defendant to Defender, My Fight for Equity on Both Sides of a Broken System.”

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July 29, 2021

I Can See Clearly Now

By Bob Glaves | CBF Executive Director

That Johnny Nash classic set the theme for this year’s CBA/CBF Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon, underscoring the widespread feeling of optimism coming out of the pandemic and being able to gather again in person to honor some unsung heroes of our profession.

We all could see clearly […]

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November 2, 2020

story slam 2020 screenshotAn Extraordinary Pro Bono Week

Like most gatherings in these times, last week the CBA/CBF’s 16th Annual Pro Bono Week went virtual for the first time. That didn’t stop hundreds of lawyers and other legal professionals in Chicago from participating in one of the many fan favorite events to celebrate the inspiring pro bono work in our community and to […]

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October 21, 2020

Does it Really Matter?

News Flash: Pro bono is not the complete solution to the huge gap in access to justice. That is actually not news to anyone involved in this work, but it seems a lot more people of late have been highlighting what pro bono can’t do as they make their case for other solutions, often implying in the process that pro bono is less important or less worthy of our resources and attention.

Well, that is just plain wrong. Just because pro bono is not the solution on its own does not mean it is not an integral part of the larger quest to fulfill our nation’s ideal of a fair and accessible justice system for all. Pro bono in fact has a big role to play, and it matters in many other ways as well.

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July 14, 2020

cbf award 2020 recipientsFirst 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.

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May 15, 2020

growthplay screenshot jepJEP 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

pro bono spotlight iconIllinois 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 21, 2020

Your Foundation at Work in the Pandemic—April 2020

As we hit the six-week mark since the Coronavirus upended our lives, the CBF has been hard at work helping to move the court system to remote access and adapt the way we deliver legal services, support that work, and help others during this crisis. The way our legal community has quickly stepped up to this challenge has inspired us, and following are just a few highlights of the important work you have been making possible during this time.

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