CBA Record May-June 2020

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

Access to Justice in the ‘New Normal’ By Bob Glaves, CBF Executive Director Y ears from now when we look back on the coronavirus and its aftermath, we are likely to see a clear line of demar-

cation — before and after the pandemic — in the legal profession and the larger justice system. The new normal in the post- pandemic era will be shaped by the response of our legal community in the coming weeks and months. The CBF will continue to be at the forefront of those efforts thanks to your strong support. There is little question that before the crisis hit Illinois with full force in March 2020, we were not ready for the disruption that fol- lowed.The court systemhad to shut down for all but those cases deemed essential (e.g., bond hearings, domestic violence cases), and then had to adapt on the fly to handle those cases remotely. And while most lawyers adapted relatively quickly to working from home, our profession continues to be challenged in connecting to the people who need legal help and delivering services remotely. As the saying goes, you can’t change the past, but you can change the future. We’ve been inspired by the many lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals who have stepped up to the challenge of helping the growing numbers of people needing legal assistance as a result of this crisis. In particular, two efforts that were underway before the crisis will help shape a better and more acces- sible future for our courts and profession. The Illinois Judicial Conference First, the Illinois Judicial Conference last fall adopted a new strategic agenda for the Illi-

A few weeks before anyone had heard the term social distancing, the full CBA/CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law& Innovationmet in late January, discussing the good work already underway and firming up its plans to complete its initial reports and recommendations by June. Keynote speaker Fred Headon, Assistant General Counsel for Air Canada and Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s Futures Initiative, was ahead of his time in giving his remarks via Zoom due to a conflict that prevented him from attending in person.

nois Judicial Branch.The strategic agenda is a blueprint for achieving the Supreme Court’s vision of a justice system that is “trusted and open to all by being fair, innovative, diverse, and responsive to changing needs.” One of many specific strategies identi- fied in the plan that has suddenly become front and center in the crisis is to “promote and enhance remote access to court services,

court and case information, and court appearances.” The system was not well set up to achieve these goals when the plan was adopted, but the crisis will give these and other efforts tomodernize access to our court system a shot in the arm. The CBF is doubling down on these efforts in the midst of this crisis, continuing to work closely with the Judicial Conference,

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