CBA Record March-April 2025

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

Public Interest Lawyer By Linda Rio

M y first job after law school was as a staff attorney at the Sev enth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Kenneth Ripple gave me some great advice that has helped me stay satisfied as a lawyer for over 36 years. He said that it is important not to become complacent in any job and to reassess every five years what you do, why you do it, and whether you are happy. After my two-year clerkship, I joined Sidley Austin as a litigation associate. I first practiced appellate work and later joined the product liability group. Early on I did pro bono work, starting first on small matters. Later, I began handling cases myself and was appointed to the firm’s pro bono committee. I also was very involved in the CBA’s Young Lawyers Sec tion, eventually serving as Chair. Although Sidley was a great place to work, I realized my passion lay more in the public interest arena. After five years at Sidley, I started exploring other career options. When talking with then-CBA Executive Director Terry Murphy, he asked what my ideal job would look like, and I said, jokingly, “If someone would

pay me for all this bar and pro bono work, that would be great.” Terry then changed my legal career: he offered to explore doing exactly that at the CBA. I was invited to start a Community Services Department shared by the CBA and Chi cago Bar Foundation and to serve as its first director. I knew I had made the right decision. I also learned that, while taking a new path may be scary and may require some difficult choices, these challenges do not necessarily mean it is the wrong decision. The CBA/CBF job was the first of sev eral positions I have had in the nonprofit legal world. I have since remained in the nonprofit legal realm, serving in roles such as the founding director of the ABA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project, the Executive Director of Pro Bono Network, and practicing in child law consulting. I have been fortunate in my career: I never left a position because it was not a good workplace, and I have had amazing colleagues at each job. I was always going to something that substantively better met my needs at the time as I continued

to take that periodic inventory suggested by Judge Ripple. Among the many important lessons I’ve learned along the way is that it’s important to not stop asking yourself peri odically what you do, why you do it, and whether you are happy. I did another such assessment a couple of years ago, and I decided it was time to make another move despite enjoying my work and colleagues at PBN. I did the same thing I did 30 years ago when leaving private practice: I sought advice from people I trusted. One of them was Bob Glaves, CBF Executive Director. In the end, I came full-circle and returned to the work that started me on my non profit path, working as an Access to Justice Consultant with the CBF. And like the other moves I made, my decision has led to great career and personal satisfaction.

Linda M. Rio is an Access to Justice Consultant, a past YLS Chair, and has held various positions in the nonprofit legal world for 30 years after five years as a Sidley Austin associate.

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