Who We Are

Our Guiding Principle

Our common cause as a legal community is to improve access to justice for people in need and to make the legal system fair, equitable, and effective for people of all backgrounds and incomes.

The CBF’S Two-Pronged Approach

Using a mix of grants, advocacy, pro bono and partnerships, the CBF pursues a two-pronged strategy to accomplish our goals:

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Invest In Proven Solutions For Today

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Spearhead Innovative Initiatives and Legal Reforms for the Long Term

Our Values

01

Effective and equitable access to justice for all

02

The special responsibility of lawyers to uphold the value of effective and equitable justice for all

03

The collective influence of the legal community as a powerful force

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Working together to serve the community and ensuring the inclusion of diverse perspectives in all we do

05

A culture of innovation, adaptation, and continuous improvement in all aspects of how we work and serve

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)

The CBF firmly believes that JEDI and the values it reflects are an integral part of reaching our vision of a justice system that is fair, equitable, and accessible for everyone in our community. We are committed to incorporating JEDI into all aspects of our work.

Our History

With thousands of veterans having recently returned from World War II and O’Hare Airport soon to open, the Chicago area in 1948 was about to embark on an era of unprecedented growth. It was then that a small but prominent group of lawyer members of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) came together united in the belief that by pooling their charitable efforts, the members of the Association collectively could make substantial improvements for both their profession and their community. Their vision soon became The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF), which over the past 70+ years has evolved into a major charitable force in the community focused on improving access to justice for people in need.

Meet Our Team

Stephanie Bello

Administrative and Communications Coordinator

Mercedes Boykin

Program Manager for Illinois JusticeCorps

Bob Glaves

Executive Director

Sang Yup Lee

Director of Development

Jess Lingle

Director of Finance & Operations

Melanie MacBride

Associate Director of Grants & COO

Cortney Redman

Director of Court Advocacy

Roya Samarghandi

Associate Director of Advocacy, Innovation, & Training

Elise Tincher

Associate Director of Pro Bono & Programs

Sunitha Vallinayagam

Administrative & Program Coordinator

Emme Veenbaas

Manager of Development & Communications

Samoane Williams

Director of The JEP

Board of Directors

Officers

President
Greg Boyle
Jenner & Block LLP

Treasurer
Nancy S. Gerrie (Ret.)
Winston & Strawn LLP

1st Vice President
Kenya A. Jenkins-Wright
Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission

Secretary
Greta Weathersby
WEC Energy Group, Inc.

2nd Vice President
Sang-yul Lee
K&L Gates LLP

Immediate Past President
Cynthia Photos Abbott
Chicago Public Media

Directors

Tracy A. Brammeier
Clifford Law Offices

Rachel M. Cannon
Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Hon. Alison C. Conlon
Circuit Court of Cook County

Vida Cruz
Arboretum Wealth & Trust Management

Kareem Dale
Discover Financial Services

Megan Devaney
Winston & Strawn LLP

Christopher J. Esbrook
Esbrook Law LLC

Randall R. Fearnow
Quarles & Brady LLP

David A. Gordon
Sidley Austin LLP

Anne Geraghty Helms
DLA Piper LLP (US)

Melissa B. Hirst
Inspire11

Robert T. Howell, III
U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Hon. LaShonda Hunt
U.S. Bankruptcy Court

Jennifer J. C. Kelly
Preferred Capital Funding

Colby Anne Kingsbury
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Ray J. Koenig, III
Clark Hill PLC

Michael Lehrman
Baker McKenzie

Elizabeth P. Lewis
McDermott Will & Emery

Elizabeth V. Lopez
United Airlines, Inc.

Amy B. Manning
McGuireWoods LLP

Kenneth Mathieu
Charles River Associates

Ian H. Morrison
Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Thomas V. Panoff
Mayer Brown LLP

Hon. Nichole C. Patton
Circuit Court of Cook County

Kevin Robinson
Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative

Colleen Strasser
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Timothy Tomasik
Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC

Susan Valentine
Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel, P.C.

Brent W. Vincent
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

Sandra Yamate
Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession

Counsel

Norah L. Jones
C3 Legal

Young Professionals Board

Officers

President
Caitlin Kolb Poirier
Crowe LLP

President-Elect
Paul E. Bateman Jr.
Sperling & Slater, LLC

Vice President
Allison Siebeneck
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

Board Members

Mallory Abel
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Joan Akalaonu
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Chair, CBA Young Lawyers Section
Daniel Berkowitz
Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa

Kenyatta Beverly
Davey Tree Expert Company

Jason Bradford
Jenner & Block LLP

Kacie Brinkman
Ropes & Gray LLP

Rebecca K. Bryant
Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Leah Casto
Tropicana Brands Group

Rachel Cheng
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Robert C. Collins
Latham & Watkins LLP

Kalia Coleman
Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

Matthew Colman
Syntellis Performance Solutions

Sarah Crocker
Northern District of Illinois

Svetlana Gitman
American Arbitration Association

Shannon C. Gross
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Patrick Heery
Cook County, Labor Relations

Chelsea Herring
Herring Legal Solutions, LLC

John Klinker
Locke Lord LLP

Jennifer Kratochvil
Mayer Brown

Cara Lawson
Steptoe & Johnson LLP

CBF Board Liaison
Michael Lehrman
Baker McKenzie

Joanna Long
Campbell Long, LLC

Kenneth Matuszewski
Goldberg Segalla

Trevor McClain-Duer
Caliber Advisors, Inc.

Jeffrey Moskowitz
J. Moskowitz Law LLC

Corina Oprea
Mondelez International

Kernisha Padilla
Latham & Watkins LLP

Seth Raebel
DLA Piper LLP (US)

Katie Rinkus
Gensburg Calandriello & Kanter, P.C.

Rick Ruffing
Stout

Eirene Salvi
Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.

Jin To
K&L Gates LLP

YLS Staff Liaison
Emily Anderson
The Chicago Bar Association