CBA Record Feb-March 2018

When the Investing in Justice Cam- paign began in 2007, it raised more than $600,000 from about 1,600 individuals at 35 participating law firms and companies. The Campaign has come a long way since that auspicious beginning. Last year, nearly 5,100 individuals donated $1.51 million, raising the overall total to nearly $15 mil- lion over the course of the Campaign’s 11 years. One hundred percent of those dollars directly supports the work of more than 30 Chicago-area pro bono and legal aid organizations. Those contributions, in turn, have leveraged millions more in legal aid funding from the CBF’s foundation and government grant partners. We take pride that the Campaign is now the largest and most impactful initiative of its kind anywhere in the country and is considered a national model. However, the need to support our community remains great. We have proven through the Cam- paign that we can make a big impact in meeting this need. We are all asked to support a variety of worthy causes, but ensuring equal access to the justice system is distinctly important to us as lawyers and legal professionals. Whether you win or lose in court should not be determined by how much money you have. We understand the importance of these issues and can respond in a way that no other group of people can or would. While we all have important roles to play as individuals, the Campaign has proven that we have the power to sig- nificantly expand the capacity of our pro bono and legal aid system when the legal community comes together as one around this issue. Specifically, donations to the Campaign: • Leverage significantly more money from government and other foundations. • Benefit from the CBF’s rigorous grants process, which strategically allocates the Campaign funds to maximize impact and ensures accountability. • Save hundreds of thousands of dollars in other social services by enabling people to resolve legal problems before they spin out of control. With one gift to the Campaign, you support our community’s many outstand-

of a year, only 11% of those without legal representation, were granted asylum; with legal representation the odds rose to 54%. About 600,000 low-income and disad- vantaged people in Cook County will need legal help over the course of this year. Many thousands of moderate-income people who don’t qualify for free legal aid but can’t afford traditional legal help will face similar challenges. Despite the dedicated efforts of Chicago’s many outstanding pro bono and legal aid attorneys, less than half of those people will be able to get often-critical legal help due to a shortage of pro bono and legal aid resources. Your generous donations through the Investing in Justice Campaign make it pos- sible for tens of thousands more people in need to get that legal help each year. The Campaign is a community-wide effort through which thousands of lawyers and legal professionals at more than 150 par- ticipating law firms, corporations, the CBA and other organizations come together around the legal community’s common cause of ensuring that everyone has access to necessary legal help, not just those who can afford it. This month marks the 12 th year of the Campaign, which is chaired by Rebecca Eisner, Partner in Charge of Mayer Brown’s Chicago office. Rebecca Eisner, Partner in Charge, Mayer Brown, Chicago and Chair of the 2018 Investing in Justice Campaign

ing pro bono and legal aid organizations; make it possible for pro bono attorneys and market-based efforts to most effectively supplement the work of the overstretched legal aid lawyers; and underwrite innova- tive projects that make our justice system more user-friendly and accessible for people in need. When people in need face serious legal problems where their home, family, liveli- hood, or basic safety may be at stake, what happens to them next may likely turn on whether they have access to capable legal help. By supporting the Investing in Justice Campaign, you can become that decid- ing factor in someone’s life. Your gift will enable more low-income people to receive services vital to getting the right outcome and the justice they deserve. The CBA again is one of the organi- zations participating in the Campaign, and we encourage all CBA members to contribute at chicagobarfoundation.org/ campaign.

CBA RECORD 21