CBA Record March-April 2020

MURPHY’S LAW BY TERRENCE M. MURPHY, CBA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

State Jesse White who will receive the prestigious Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Award; Access Living will receive the Thomas A Demetrio Award; and Daniel A. Cotter will receive LAH’s inaugural “My Hero” Award, which honors a member of the legal profession who has made a difference to a mentoring/ tutoring program as a volunteer mentor or board member. For reservations, www. lawyerslendahand.org. COVID-19 Update In the wake of the World Hea lth Organization’s March 11 announcement that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a global pandemic, The Chicago Bar Association is taking the following precautionary action consistent with the CDC’s recommendations to protect the well-being of our valued members and of our outstanding staff: (1) Effective March 16, committee meetings and continuing legal education seminars will only be offered online. Speakers will be invited to tape their presentations at the Association’s Headquarters or remotely in their office, after which the taped presentation will be available online to CBA members. All committee and CLE seminar presentations at the Association will be audience free and available only at the CBA’s website: www.chicagobar.org. The online only programming change will remain in place until such time as this health emergency is resolved; (2) During this time, we will notify members on a weekly basis of the schedule for online committee and CLE programming. Online registration is convenient and, as a reminder, the CBA automatically tracks MCLE credit for members who attend the CBA’s many qualified programs. Thus, members will be able to obtain all of their Illinois MCLE credit requirements; (3) In addition, committee leaders may decide to schedule conference calls with their committees; and (4) Social events planned at the Association are being rescheduled so please check the CBA’s website for updated information about these events. For more information, call the CBA at 312-554- 2000 or www.chicagobar.org.

All three branches of government came together at the CBA January 22 for a CBA-CBF legislative reception that recognized retired Illinois Senate President John Cullerton for his commitment over the course of his career to issues and legislation supporting access to justice. Among thosewhopaid tribute toCullertonwereGovernor J.B. Pritzker, Deputy Governor and CBA President Jesse Ruiz, Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Burke, Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Senate President Don Harmon. Pictured at the reception (left to right) are Governor Pritzker, John Cullerton and Jesse Ruiz.

Edward J. Lewis II Lawyers in the Classroom Program Last October, the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago’s (CRFC) governing board and the CBA’s Board of Managers agreed to transfer CRFC’s Edward J. Lewis II Lawyers in the Classroom (LIC) Program to the Association. The LIC program, one of CRFC’s most successful programs, transitioned to the CBA’s not-for-profit educational entity, CBA Media and Civic Education, Inc., formerly CBA TV Productions, Inc. With over 600 lawyer volunteers, the LIC program is currently being offered in 60 elementary schools to more than 5,000 students. Working in partnership with teachers, lawyer volunteers provide 2 nd through 8 th grade students with civic education programming to help them better understand the U.S. Constitution, our legal system, and their rights and responsibilities under the law. Attorneys also provide students with knowledge based on real-life experiences, help them develop critical thinking and civil discourse

skills, and offer students an opportunity to interact with positive role models. Tiffani Watson, M.Ed., educator and former school administrator, is the director of the LIC program and since coming to the CBA in November has recruited and trained more than 200 new lawyer volunteers. Watson works closely with teachers and attorney volunteers to coordinate and schedule LIC classroom visits throughout the school year. Additionally, Watson is actively involved in fundraising, which is necessary to expand the program to more schools. For more information about the Lawyers in the Classroom Program and how you can donate to this important program, please visit http://bit.ly/2HVeCx5 or contact Tiffani Watson at twatson@ chicagobar.org or 312-554-2060. Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth Awards Dinner This year’s Lend-A-Hand Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2020 at the Four Seasons Hotel. This year’s honorees include: Illinois Secretary of

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