CBA Record July-August 2025

CBA Members Make Memories and Enjoy History in Sicily By Daniel Cotter, CBA Past President and CBA Record Editorial Board Member

“Sicilians build things like they will live forever and eat like they will die tomorrow.” —Plato

T ake 100 CBA members and their guests, add CBA Presi dent John C. Sciaccotta, whose family roots are in Sicily, and get them over to Palermo—and the rest is history, legal education, and camaraderie. The first full day of CLE activities included educational panels discussing the major differences between the United States and Italy in trial procedure and alternative dispute resolution. After the seminars, attendees embarked on a guided tour of Palermo and enjoyed dinner. Day two brought more legal education for the lawyers, includ ing a panel on prosecution of the Sicilian Mafia moderated by Judge Thomas Donnelly. Attendees then visited a courthouse

museum dedicated to two judges who were assassinated by the Mafia. In the afternoon the group journeyed to Monreale, a town steeped in history and the birthplace of attendee and former ISBA President Umberto Davi. The evening was capped with a dinner, where the lawyers and judges in the group also reaffirmed their attorney oaths in observance of Law Day. Most of the original group continued their travels to Taormina and were able to see more incredible locations and experience Sicilian history, food, and culture. The next CBA CLE Trip Abroad will visit Greece in Spring 2026. Stay tuned for details in the Fall or send an email to CLE Director Jennifer Byrne at jbyrne@chicagobar.org.

14 July/August 2025