CBA Record May-June 2022

InspiringWomen: CBA Hosts General Counsel from 4 Chicago Museums By Jennifer Byrne, CBA Continuing Legal Education Director T he CBA was honored to host the general counsel of four of Chica go’s top museums for a discussion the Museum’s employees voted to form a union with AFSCME. The panelists also mentioned that it is common to work in tandem with scientists to ensure the con tinuous preservation of the works and objects within their collections.

and reflect the communities in which they operate. The panelists described a variety of efforts they have undertaken in this regard, including creating stronger pipe lines for women and persons of color to reach higher levels of senior manage ment, improving accessibility for patrons within museum spaces, and making a more deliberate effort to exhibit BIPOC and women creators within museum col lections. When asked by President Grayson what they enjoyed most about their jobs, although the answers varied, they shared a common theme: the greatest reward comes from working with thoughtful, creative people who put their hearts into supporting the mission and the vision of their respective institutions. The CBA is pleased to offer our mem bers unique opportunities such as this program to learn from our city’s most accomplished attorneys and to celebrate the women lawyers who have worked hard to maintain our city’s vibrant cul tural landscape during challenging times. The program, entitled “Inspiring Women: Meet the Women Leading Chicago’s Museums,” is now available in the CBA’s on-demand MCLE archive at www.learn. chicagobar.org and qualifies for 1 IL Diversity/Inclusion PR-MCLE Credit.

about how the women navigate their roles as legal advisors to some of the world’s most renowned cultural institutions. CBA President E. Lynn Grayson moderated the program; panelists included Lori Breslauer of the Field Museum, Catherine Casey of the Shedd Aquarium, Pam Chen of the Museum of Science and Industry, and Leslie Darling of the Art Institute of Chicago. The program was held virtually on International Women’s Day and served as the flagship program of the CBA’s annual Women’s History Month celebra tion. Over 130 lawyers joined us to learn how these women rose to the top of their respective organizations. One major takeaway from the pro gram is that there is no “average day in the office” for the general counsel of a major metropolitan museum. Although each museum functions as its own world, the general counsel must address a broad range of legal issues ranging from board governance to labor and employment to charitable giving. According to Chen, the variety and novelty means the job is “never not exciting.” Novel legal issues also arise that are specific to each type of museum. Of her work at the Field Museum, Breslauer said, “There is always a twist. We may deal with intellectual property, but in our case, it is intellectual property related to our T. Rex Sue.” Darling shared several exam ples of unique legal situations she has encountered at the Art Institute, includ ing those surrounding the accessioning and de-accessioning of artwork into the museum’s collection and issues related to higher education at the School of the Art Institute. Recently, her legal department has had to develop new ways of work ing within a unionized environment after

The Covid-19 pandemic also caused unique challenges that impact muse ums on many fronts. Museums pivoted to online programming and considered digitization of their collections, which lead to intellectual property concerns. The general counsel also grappled with managing a remote work force. But as these challenges arose, the panelists’ col laborative relationship with one another proved to be beneficial and enabled them to develop uniform policies regarding museum closures, masking and vac cine requirements, and re-opening dates. “We’ve been frequent collaborators and each other’s shoulder to lean on through out this challenging time,” said Darling as she described the panelists’ efforts to ensure that visitors to Chicago’s museums continue to be served well and in similar fashion throughout the pandemic. The panel also focused on the topic of diversity and inclusion. For museums to attract the next generation of patrons and supporters, they must be welcoming envi ronments to people of all backgrounds

Pictured from top left: Catherine Casey, Shedd Aquarium; Lori Breslauer, Field Museum; Leslie Darling, Art Institute of Chicago; Pam Chen, Museum of Science and Industry; and E. LynnGrayson, Nijman&Franzetti/CBAPresident (moderator).

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