CBA Record July-August 2025

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

A Transformational Investment in Legal Aid: The New Patton Legal Aid Training Academy By Roya Samarghandi T he Chicago Bar Foundation’s Legal Aid Academy has begun a new chapter with a new name, a broad serve clients with empathy, effectiveness, and resilience.

who cannot afford it,” said Steve Patton, a former Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago and longtime partner at Kirkland & Ellis. “In doing so, they need—and deserve—the best trial prac tice and other training and professional growth opportunities available. Training that will help them reach their full profes sional potential and provide their clients with the most effective representation possible.” The newly endowed Academy will continue its innovative model of offer ing training through two complementary approaches. First, coordinated training connects legal aid attorneys and staff with existing programs at law firms and other organizations when their content meets the needs of the legal aid community. Second, customized training draws on the expertise of leading practitioners to develop tailored programs that address the unique challenges of legal aid work. In the coming year, the Academy will offer programs covering a wide range of topics. These include deposition and trial skills, presentation techniques, and the often overlooked but critical issue of set ting professional boundaries with clients. Beyond building substantive and proce dural knowledge, the Academy focuses on the essential communication and advo cacy skills that help legal aid professionals

“Our objective with this gift is to create a permanent endowment to ensure that the Academy will continue—and expand—this critically important train ing and support,” the Pattons explained. “We hope it will not only enhance the effectiveness and job satisfaction of cur rent legal aid attorneys but also encour age new lawyers and recent graduates to pursue careers in legal aid, confident that they will receive training that not only rivals, but may exceed, what’s offered at the top private firms.” With this expanded vision and endur ing financial support, the CBF Patton Legal Aid Training Academy stands poised to continue to support and develop legal aid in Chicago for generations to come. To learn more about the Academy or how you can support its mission, visit www.chicagobarfoundation.org/legal-aid academy or contact Roya Samarghandi at rsamarghandi@chicagobarfoundation. org.

ened mission, and a remarkable show of support from longtime legal leaders Steve and Linda Patton. Thanks to their generous gift of more than $1 million, the Academy will now be known as the CBF Patton Legal Aid Training Academy, ensuring its continued impact as a cor nerstone of professional development for Chicago’s legal aid community. “This transformational gift from Steve and Linda will be a big boost for our legal aid community,” said CBF Execu tive Director Bob Glaves. “Their inspiring commitment is just the latest example of Steve’s exemplary leadership on pro bono and public service throughout his legal career, and it will make a huge impact.” First launched in 2009, the Academy was created to provide high-quality, acces sible training to legal aid professionals at every level of experience—from new attorneys and staff to seasoned executive directors. The Academy addresses a well documented gap: legal aid organizations operate under tight budget constraints that often preclude the type of robust training available in larger law firms. “These attorneys are motivated by a desire to provide first-rate representation to the many people in our community

Roya Samarghandi is the Chief Advocacy & Innovation Officer for The Chicago Bar Foundation.

22 July/August 2025