CBA Record July-August 2018

materials and assessment tools appropriate to each grade level. Attorney volunteers visit partner schools at least three times during the school year. CRFC’s Action Based Community Project (ABC Project) engages 4th-8th grade students in learning civics through participation. This innovative program teaches students to explore their commu- nity, identify research sources and write about a problemwith the goal of providing solutions through public policy options. Students can also design and implement a civics project and are encouraged to con- sider new public policy options. CRFC’s Equal Justice Under the Law project engages students in grades 9-12 and focuses on recently decided U.S. Supreme Court Cases. Students receive instruction to better understand the facts of the case, constitutional issues involved, the argu- ments, the legal and social impact of the Court’s decision. The CBA offers a variety of other civics- related tutor/mentor training programs including: “Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth” (LAH), an affiliated organization; Restorative Justice Training in Chicago schools (Interfaith Committee); CBA/ Juvenile Court Mentoring program for at- risk juveniles on probation; and Legal Prep Charter Academies Mentoring Program in partnership with the YLS. On the national level, organizations such as I Civics and the Annenberg Public

2014 mid-term gubernatorial primary. Also troubling is the significant decline of voters who vote the judicial ballot. What’s being done to help? The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) has been working on civics training in our schools for more than 25 years. CRFC is a non-partisan organi- zation dedicated to providing law-related and civic education to elementary and high school students. I’ve been personally involved with CRFC for many years and was honored to serve as past chairman of the board of directors. CRFC’s “Edward J. Lewis II, Lawyers in the Classroom” project places attorney volunteers in grades 2-8 to help students better understand the U.S. Constitution and our federal and state court legal system. CRFC also encourages students to consider pursuing legal and law-related careers. Lawyers who volunteer with CRFC are provided special training to lead interactive classroom lessons. In addi- tion, CRFC gives teachers civics training Solo/Small Firm Resources The CBA has a free resource portal for solo small firmmembers. Access archived programs on firm marketing, start up tips, legal software demos, client development and more. Go to www. chicagobar.org or call 312/554-2070.

For more information about how you can help

address America’s civics crisis, contact Sally

Daly at CBA Headquarters, or the Constitutional

Rights Foundation Chicago at www.crfc.org or

312/663-9057.

Policy Center offer classroom projects similar to those offered by Chicago’s Constitutional Rights Foundation. The Annenberg Public Policy Center helped establish a civics renewal initiative with national organizations that include the Library of Congress, National Archives, National Constitutional Center, U.S. Courts, I Civics, National Endowment for the Humanities and others. In Chicago, the Federal Bar Association has a program at Legal Prep High School,; and the WITS (Working in the Schools) program engages large law firms and cor- porate law departments to partner with Chicago Public Schools. My hope is that the attorney members of The Chicago Bar Association will part- ner with one or more of these fine organi- zations and get out of their law offices and into the schools. We can all help students become responsible, participatory and justice-oriented members of society. The future of our democracy depends on it!

In-House Counsel Committee

Are you an in-house attorney, looking for oppor-

tunities to network and learn with other in-house

attorneys? The YLS has recently launched an

In-House Counsel Committee and is currently seek-

ing new members. To receive notice, visit www.

chicagobar.org/committees and select “In-House

Counsel Committee” under the YLS committee

listing to join.

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