CBA Record January 2019

PRESIDENT’S PAGE BY STEVEN M. ELROD    

The Chicago Bar Association www.chicagobar.org

OFFICERS President Steven M. Elrod

participation in our Association. This is evident throughout the year and is reflected in the extraordinary level of services that members provide to the legal profession, to our community, and in all of our social pro- grams and numerous YLS-sponsored events and receptions. Good things happen when lawyers come together, and nowhere does that statement ring more true than with the CBA’s many programs and services. Collegiality, the relationship that we have with our colleagues, is based on mutual acceptance of a common purpose, respect for the abilities of others, and shared responsibility for creating a productive work environment. Although a number of factors determine one’s success or failure, collegiality is essential to sustain us in our work regardless of whether we are work- ing in private practice, government, the corporate sector, or in service to the legal profession or to the community. It is the cornerstone of professional work and is indeed the X-factor that determines not just our success but the success of our enterprise. For lawyers, bar associations are the perfect vehicle to provide their most useful service to the law, the administration of jus- tice, and the public. Collegiality, spawned from knowledge and friendships among professionals, is essential to the success of every CBA-sponsored program and activity. My goal this year is to enhance our membership experience through the provi- sion of substantive and recreational activi- ties that increase our interaction with each other. We have a magnificent headquarters building on Plymouth Court. With the help of our Member Services Commit- tee, we are examining ways in which the use of our building can be expanded by members during and after business hours for both social and business purposes. Stay tuned for new, innovative uses of the CBA Headquarters.

Holland & Knight LLP First Vice President Jesse H. Ruiz

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Second Vice President Maryam Ahmad Cook County State's Attorney's Office Secretary E. Lynn Grayson Nijman Franzetti LLP Treasurer Timothy S. Tomasik Tomasik Kotin Kasserman LLC Executive Director Terrence M. Murphy Assistant Executive Director Elizabeth A. McMeen BOARD OF MANAGERS Jonathan B. Amarilio Alan R. Borlack Judge Thomas M. Durkin Sharon L. Eiseman Mark B. Epstein Nina Fain Hon. LaShonda A. Hunt Michael J. Kaufman Hon. Diane Joan Larsen Lori E. Lightfoot Kathryn Carso Liss Hon. Thomas R. Mulroy Matthew A. Passen

C ollegiality is one of the “Three C” goals on which I have been focusing this year‒the other two being Civic Education and Civility. For me and for many of our colleagues, col- legiality underpins the practice of law. It enhances productivity, builds professional and personal relationships, and leads to friendships that last a lifetime. In many ways, it defines who we are and how we are perceived by our fellow lawyers, our clients, our friends, and by the world outside of the legal profession. Although collegiality is often taken for granted, many of us know all too well that there is a growing lack of collegiality in the profession. The practice of law requires constant attention to every facet of representation, and collegiality is especially important in our everyday con- duct and interaction with others. When the Chicago Bar Association was organized in 1874, the following purposes were enumerated in its constitution: • To maintain the honor and dignity of the profession of the law; and • To cultivate social intercourse among its members. I’m especially proud that collegiality has and continues to be a hallmark of member

Brandon E. Peck Mary Robinson Federico M. Rodriguez John C. Sciaccotta Adam J. Sheppard Helene M. Snyder Greta G. Weathersby Zeophus J. Wiliams

8  