CBA Record July-August 2025

knew would bring innovative thoughts and concepts to the CBA’s 150th celebration planning process,” said Grayson. “Her positiv ity and can-do attitude helped motivate those working with her.” According to Judge Patton, leading that committee helped prepare her for the job of leading the CBA as President. “I learned from a lot of great leaders because the 150th Anniversary Committee consisted of quite a few past CBA presidents,” Judge Patton said. “The most important thing I learned about serving as Co-Chair of the committee was that people were willing to listen to what I had to say. It was a joy that it was so well-received.” Plans for the Bar Year For her term as CBA President, Judge Patton is looking not only at the year ahead, but to the next 10 years of legal practice that members will have to navigate. There is no bigger specter than that of generative AI and what its mass adoption might mean for the billable hour. The continued development and improvement of AI products will likely affect all attorneys billing by the hour. Sophisticated clients will expect attorneys to use AI tools to shorten the time needed to draft documents. Other clients may elect to repre sent themselves, rather than hire an attorney, assuming (perhaps rightly, perhaps wrongly) that their AI assistant can give them what they need to plead their case. “All the time families are looking at budgets and figuring out where they’re going to spend their money,” said Judge Patton. “They are deciding whether to hire an attorney or whether to get AI to answer their questions. Not only just draft complaints, but answer their questions, tell them what to do. All for free. So we have to reckon with that. Even though people say, ‘well don’t worry, we’ll always need attorneys,’ I’m not going to make that assumption.” Assessing how to take advantage of the changes brought about by AI is a key goal for Judge Patton during her bar year. “I think that’s one of the reasons people pay their membership dues,” she observed. “They expect us to keep them abreast of what’s going on in technology. I want to help our members figure out how do we get in front of this to make sure people know that you still need a human being who actually is passionate and who is going to listen to what you have to say and then navigate this process with you.” Judge Patton plans to create 10 new AI-focused committees to assess the issues brought by AI from many different angles. Some of these committees will focus on judicial ethics, decision making, access to justice for underrepresented communities, court administration and efficiency, and implications for profes sional responsibility. She also has a plan for making the commit tees an avenue by which she can increase collaboration between lawyers and judges: “The uniqueness of the committees is that each is going to be co-chaired by a judge and by an attorney. One of the themes of my presidency is collaboration, bringing the bench and the bar together. What better way than to have a

judge and an attorney co-chairing a committee?” In addition to helping CBA members with emerging AI tech nology, Judge Patton also wants to emphasize uniting the legal community in the face of increasing threats to the rule of law in the United States. “It is important for the coalition of our leaders to speak with one voice,” Judge Patton said. “At this time there needs to be one voice, particularly from the Chicagoland area. I believe we have a total of 50 bar associations or so.” “At the CBA, we recognize our privilege. We are the gold standard of the bar associations. We have very powerful mem bers and a powerful leadership. But some of the smaller bar asso ciations were very excited about the idea [of a unified voice on threats to the rule of law], because when we’re unified, our voices are stronger.” She continued, “If you see the Decalogue Society, and the Muslim Bar Association, and the South Asian Bar Association, together with The Chicago Bar Association, that lets everyone know that we are all at the table and we all know that we need to protect the rule of law, democracy, and the independence of the judiciary.” Qualities for Success Given these ambitious goals, Judge Patton, the Executive Com mittee, and the Board of Managers have their work cut out for them. According to those who have worked with her, Judge Patton is well-suited for the task. “She is neurotically organized,” Judge Bates said. “Nichole always follows through. It is important that our leaders are doers. It is important to be able to delegate. But people will work for you, people will respect you, if they know you will get in the trenches with them. Nichole is a doer.” “It is a special honor to serve as CBA President, but it also is a heavy lift requiring significant time, patience, and attention to an array of matters daily, including the expected and unexpected,” Grayson said. “Judge Patton is smart, has a confident yet kind manner, and has demonstrated time and time again she is capable of juggling multiple personal and professional tasks and responsi bilities. Her positivity, personality and leadership skills will serve her well as CBA President.” Judge Patton plans to measure her success by the success of the entire CBA. “My ideas come completely from love because I want to see us succeed,” she remarked. “The Chicago Bar Association has been so good to me. They have allowed my light to shine, and I am so looking forward to my upcoming presidency.”

Daniel Berkowitz, a partner at Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston & Zimet, LLP focusing his practice on representing insurers in complex insurance coverage litigation, is a member of the CBA Board of Managers, the CBA Record Editorial Board, and a former Chair of the CBA Young Lawyers Section.

28 July/August 2025