CBA Record

2015 Morsch Award Recipient Phil Mohr, with Tom Morsch. Photo by Bill Richert.

work, it opened the door to consideration for other recognitions and benefits.” Several other recipients are now in lead- ership or director positions at their respec- tive legal aid organizations. 2001 recipient Meg Benson (now Executive Director at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services) echoed Heybach’s sentiment: “The award served as an affirmation that I was doing a good job, which allowed me to move forward and make, at times, hard decisions. This was, and remains, a high point in my career.” Believing that the recipients may be tempted to use the cash prize to do some- thing altruistic with the money awarded or give it back to their organization, Morsch made it very clear that he wants them to spend it on something that might be considered frivolous, like the trip they’ve always dreamt of taking, but put off for financial reasons. Se v e r a l ha ve s en t t he Mo r s ch family postcards from around the world: Benson’s family spent a week in London and Paris and another family traversed

Australia. TomYates, Executive Director at AIDS Legal Council and the 2013 award recipient, took the opportunity to visit his daughter, who was teaching English in Vietnam at the time. He and his wife were able to explore several parts of the country, including Saigon, the Mekong Delta and Hanoi. Others have put the money towards tangible necessities, like a second car. Heybach, for example, set aside half of the money for herself and invested the other half to help her young nephews through college. TomMorsch’s son JimMorsch chairs the selection committee for the award. He noted, “They’ve spent their whole career being charitable; it’s time they were rewarded personally for what they’ve done.”

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2015 CBA/CBF Pro Bono & Public Service Awards Kimball R. Anderson and Karen Gatsis Anderson Public Interest Law Fellowship: Candace Moore, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Exelon Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award: Claire Battle, ArcelorMittal USA Edward J. Lewis II Pro Bono Service Award: Gabriel A. Fuentes, Jenner & Block LLP Leonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence: Mary Bird, Loyola University Chicago School of Law MauriceWeigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award: Shauna R. Prewitt, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Mea- gher & Flom LLP Richard J. Phelan Public Service Award: Leslie Landis, DomesticViolence Division, Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County Thomas H. Morsch Public Service Award: Phillip J. Mohr, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services

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