CBA Record March-April 2026

CBA NEWS

Liberty Bell Award Honors Community Members During Law Week By Emily Anderson, Director, Young Lawyers Section

F or over 20 years, the Liberty Bell Award has recognized nonlawyers who render service that strengthens the American justice system. This award has also become a hallmark of the Young Lawyers Section’s Law Week celebra tion, with programming consistent with the ABA’s Law Day theme. ABA Law Day is celebrated each year on May 1. This year’s Law Week theme, “The Rule of Law and the American Dream,” emphasizes that no person is above the law. The theme focuses on the connection between adherence to the rule of law and how it has contributed to fulfillment of the “American dream.” It also highlights the belief that through a strong founda tion, our nation can continue to progress and promote freedom for all. Recent Honoree The 2025 Liberty Bell Award was bestowed on Alexandra Sossa, chief execu tive officer of the Farmworkers and Landscapers Advocacy Project (FLAP), who advocates for low-wage and immigrant workers in Illinois. During the pandemic, FLAP secured over $2 million in financial assistance for more than 26,000 low wage workers. Sossa began her career supporting coffee plantation workers in her home country of Colombia and eventually moved to Spain to assist Mexican citizens with navigating the Spanish legal system. She became a FLAP volunteer in 2001 after moving to Chicago and has continued in her mission of service and community outreach for over two decades. Application Details and Logistics Applications for the 2026 Liberty Bell Award are now open and are due by April 10. The winner will be selected by an awards committee and announced in late April. The winner will be presented with a commemorative plaque at the YLS’s Annual Law Day Celebration on May 6 at noon at Richard J. Daley Plaza. The Law Day Celebration is open to the public, and all members of the legal com munity are encouraged to attend. The application form can be found at www.chicagobar.org/LawWeek, along with details for 2026 Law Week events. If you have any questions about the appli cation process, please email yls@chicagobar.org or call 312-554-2070.

Alexandra Sossa and 2024-2025 YLS Chair Kenneth Matuszewski at the 2025 Law Day Celebration.

8 March/April 2026