CBA Record March-April 2022

The CBA’s 150th Anniversary: Celebrations and Future Plans By Ann Glynn, CBA Public A ff airs Director F ounded in 1874, Th e Chicago Bar Association is proud to be one of the oldest and most active met

District of Illinois; Dani e l M. Kot in, Shareholder at Toma sik Kotin Kasserman; Pa t t y McCa r t h y, Regional Sales Man ager at Lexis Nexis; MartinMontes, Board of Director, Hispanic

Committee committed to serving the CBA membership, the courts, and the broader Chicagoland community by bolstering post-Covid legal practices; promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; and raising awareness of socioeconomic issues facing individuals and communi ties today.” Th e Committee includes lawyers and judges from a diverse cross-section of the legal, business, public service, and non profit communities. Members include: Michael Alkaraki, Partner at Leahy Hoste Alkaraki; Charles S. Beach II, Associ ate Judge of the Pretrial Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County; Daniel Berkowitz, Assistant Attorney General at Illinois Attorney General’s O ffi ce; Alison C. Conlon, Circuit Judge for the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County; Daniel A. Cotter, Attorney at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC; Joy Cunningham, Jus tice of the Illinois First District Appellate Court; Octavio Duran, Principal Attorney at Duran LawO ffi ces; Steven Fus, Attorney at Steve Fus Law and Interim Director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid; Maurice Grant, Principal Attorney at Grant Law LLC; LaShonda A. Hunt, Bankruptcy Judge for the US District Court for the Northern

ropolitan bar association in the United States. Our focus continues to be improv ing the e ff ectiveness and e ffi ciency of the administration of justice; assuring access to a ff ordable and quality legal services to all; ensuring that bench and bar adhere to acceptable professional and ethical stan dards; and, among other things, encourag ing a bar that re fl ects the racial and ethnic diversity of the Chicago metropolitan area. As we approach our 150th anniversary in 2024, a Strategic Planning Committee has been convened to thoughtfully con sider the future of the CBA. “In forming this Committee, we hope to challenge all members to make the CBA the bar association they want, need, and deserve,” said CBA President E. Lynn Grayson. “As we plan for the next 150 years, we must adapt o ff erings to support and advance legal careers as well as serve as a change agent for racial justice, the rule of law, access to justice, and improving the communities where we live and work.” Andrew W. Vail, Partner at Jenner & Block, chairs the CBA’s Strategic Plan ning Committee. “We have a tremendous

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Lawyers Association of Illinois; Kernisha Padilla, Con fl icts Attorney at Blank Rome LLP; Matthew A. Passen, Partner at Passen & Powell; Kenya A. Jenkins-Wright, Gen eral Counsel of the Illinois Guardianship & Advocacy Commission; and Adam Zebelian, Associate at Schiller, DuCanto & Fleck, LLP. Serving the Committee as Special Advi sors are StephenM. Elrod, Partner at Elrod Friedman LLP;. Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, Chief Judge of the USDistrict Court for the Northern District of Illinois; and Terri L. Mascherin, Partner at Jenner & Block LLP. Th e Committee looks forward to receiv ing input from members on the strategic plan. Suggestions and input can be pro vided to Andrew Vail at strategicplan@ chicagobar.org.

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12 March/April 2022