CBA Record July-August 2026

PRESIDENT’S PAGE BY TRISHA M. RICH One Bar: Stronger Together

The Chicago Bar Association www.chicagobar.org President Trisha M. Rich First Vice President Kathryn C. Liss Second Vice President Jonathan B. Amarilio Immediate Past President Judge Nichole C. Patton Executive Director Beth McMeen BOARD OF MANAGERS Judge Jorge L. Alonso James V. Campell Elizabeth Carpenter Dora Cornelio Steven R. Decker Octavio Duran Kevin Gerow Secretary Andrew W. Vail Treasurer Adam M. Zebelian

As I begin my year as President, I carry these lessons with me, but I am filled first and foremost with gratitude. No one arrives at a moment like this alone. What ever success I have enjoyed professionally or within the bar has been made possible by people who invested their time, trust, and energy in me along the way. I am grateful to Steve Elrod, an early colleague and mentor who encouraged bar involvement and leadership at every step of my career. His leadership, wisdom, and friendship have influenced generations of Chicago lawyers. He has long exemplified the very best of our profession: excellence, integrity, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to helping others succeed. His example has shaped my own under standing of leadership and service. I am grateful to Judge Nichole Patton, whose leadership over the past year has been extraordinary. Judge Patton has led the CBA with thoughtfulness, grace, and unwavering dedication, and I am honored to follow her. More importantly, I am proud to call her a friend. I am grateful to Katie Liss and Jon Amarilio, two of my closest friends and fellow travelers on this CBA journey. We came up through the Young Lawyers Section together, supported one another through countless volunteer roles and leadership positions, and somehow found ourselves moving through the leadership ranks together. The fact that the three of us will serve as consecutive CBA Presidents is something I never could have imagined years ago, and it remains one of my favorite examples of what can happen when people invest in one another and grow together. I am grateful to my colleagues at Hol land & Knight, who have supported both

W hen I first became involved with the CBA, I was a young lawyer looking for something that many lawyers seek early in their careers: community. I had moved to Chicago, was building a practice, and was trying to find my place in a profession that I loved but was still learning to navigate. Like many young lawyers, I knew how to work hard. What I did not yet know was how important rela tionships, mentorship, and service would become to my career and my life. The CBA changed that, and with it, my career. Over the years, the CBA has given me far more than I could ever repay. It has provided friendships, mentors, oppor tunities, leadership experiences, and a sense of belonging within a profession that I care deeply about. It introduced me to people who challenged me to think bigger, encouraged me to take risks, and demonstrated what it means to lead with integrity and purpose.

William T. Gibbs Martin D. Gould Noah J. Graf Elizabeth A. Kaveny Sarah F. King

Jennifer F. Kuzminski Kenneth Matuszewski Judge Thomas A. Morrissey Judge Michael T. Mullen Ryan M. Nolan Brandon E. Peck

8 July/August 2026