CBA Record July-August 2021

PRESIDENT’S PAGE BY E. LYNN GRAYSON Kindness, Civility, and Well-Being

The Chicago Bar Association www.chicagobar.org

OFFICERS

and to improve the common good. Lawyers play a special role in commu- nities where we live and work. Our words matter, our actions have meaning, and the consequences may be positive or negative. We know from history that one lawyer can make a difference, change lives, but many lawyers can launch a movement and change history. As lawyers, we can and must do more to set an example and lead the way to a more civil, kind, and just environment for all of us. Writing for the ABA’s Practice Points, Chicago lawyer Nasir Hussain notes that kindness in law is more than a virtue, it’s a requirement. I agree with his conclud- ing remark that “…I found that kindness given is kindness returned, even within the often sharp-elbowed practice of law.” The Illinois Supreme Court Com- mission on Professionalism has been a national leader in calling for greater civility, professionalism, and kindness in law. The Commission’s Executive Director, Jayne Reardon, and her team have been fierce advocates for positive change. The Commis- sion’s Deputy Director, Stephanie Villinski, recently addressed the importance of civility and kindness in law in a blog titled Let’s Talk About Legal Acts of Kindness . She identified five legal acts of kindness applicable to all lawyers: be fair and empathic; agree that it’s ok to disagree but not to be mean; thank another attorney; take care of yourself; and work for improved access to justice. Can we all agree to step up in our profes- sional and personal lives and offer our best to each other, our communities, and our profession? Sometimes it is the simple things that make the biggest difference – like doing what you know is right and treating each other with kindness and respect. As CBA members, let’s recommit to be kind and civil and to make a difference each and every day as a lawyer through our own version of legal acts of kindness:

President E. Lynn Grayson

First Vice President Timothy S. Tomasik

Second Vice President Ray J. Koenig III

Secretary Kathryn Carso Liss Treasurer John C. Sciaccotta

W e live in a society in which we have lost the ability to disagree— we are unwilling to listen to the differing thoughts and opinions of others, to consider another’s perspectives or to learn from their life experiences that may be dif- ferent from our own. Why does it appear we have abandoned the golden rule we learned as children to be kind to one another and to treat others the way you want to be treated? Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, social unrest, and political turmoil, I believe there is a silver lining coming out of the chaos that may promote a paradigm shift in law in favor of more kindness, civility, and overall improved health and well-being. According to recent studies conducted by Dr. Ritchie Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, Center for Healthy Minds, perpetually kind people have 23% less of the stress hormone cortisol and in general age more slowly. Kindness has three compo- nents in this research: listening with intent to connect; spreading kindness in spoken or written words; and being kind to yourself. I believe the concepts of kindness and civility are one and the same for lawyers. Incivility not only has an adverse effect on the legal profession but also on society, given a law- yer’s responsibility to uphold the rule of law

Immediate Past President Maryam Ahmad

Executive Director Elizabeth A. McMeen

BOARD OF MANAGERS Michael Alkaraki

Hon. Charles S. Beach II Alexis Crawford Douglas Octavio Duran Robert W. Fioretti Malcolm “Skip” Harsch Risa R. Lanier Patricia L. McCarthy Hon. James M. McGing Hon. Clare Elizabeth McWilliams Juan Morado, Jr.

Brandon Peck Ashley Rafael Antonio M. Romanucci

Hon. Maria Valdez Sandra S. Yamate

6 July/August 2021