CBA Record July-August 2026

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

Twenty Years of Investing in Justice T hink back to the year 2007. The first iPhone is about to change how we communi cate. Streaming is still in its infancy. And in Chicago, legal aid organizations are facing a challenge that feels all too familiar today: More than half of low-income Chicagoans seeking legal assistance are turned away because legal aid organizations lack sufficient capacity to serve them while financial barriers make it difficult for newer lawyers to pursue legal aid careers. In response to this challenge, The Chicago Bar Foundation worked with prominent leaders in the legal community to launch the CBF Investing in Justice Campaign. Rooted in the belief that lawyers and legal professionals have a special leadership responsi bility to help ensure everyone has access to justice, the campaign brings the entire legal community together to help pro bono and legal aid organizations serve more people in need. Under the leadership of Chair Anton R. Valukas, Jenner & Block LLP, the first campaign in 2007 mobilized 27 law firms and corporations to contribute to this common cause, with 100% of funds raised going to grants for pro bono and legal aid organizations and their dedicated lawyers serving the Chicago area. In its first year, the Investing in Justice Campaign raised $900,000 to support legal aid and heightened awareness of the need to do more. Twenty years later, more than 130 firms and companies now participate in the campaign each year. The campaign has raised more than $25 million to support legal aid since its inception while also helping to leverage more than $10 million in additional funding over that time. These investments have provided critical legal assistance to thousands of people each year and helped build a stronger and more connected pro bono and legal aid system to serve our community. Much has changed over the past 20 years, but one constant has remained and deepened: the Chicago legal community’s com mitment to access to justice. Through economic downturns, a By Emme Veenbaas, CBF Director of Communications and Events

CBF Board President Tom Panoff and CBF Executive Director Bob Glaves with 2026 IIJ Co-Chairs Randy Mehrberg of Jenner & Block LLP and Laura Stein of Mondelēz International, Inc. at the 2026 Campaign kickoff.

global pandemic, and profound changes in the legal profession, law firms, corporations, and individual attorneys remain dedi cated to fulfilling the promise of equal justice for all. The Invest ing in Justice Campaign stands as a testament to that enduring commitment as the 2026 Campaign is in full swing. You can learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved on the CBF website, chicagobarfoundation.org/invest ing-in-justice-campaign/ . Theresa Jaffe, one of the architects and leaders of the cam paign from the start, with David Snyder, then Publisher and Editor of Crain’s Chicago Business, at a campaign kickoff event.

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