CBA Record November 2017

BREAKING NEW GROUND IN THE BATTLE AGAINST CHICAGO VIOLENCE CBA Hosts Lawyers Call to Action Summit By Sally Daly

CBA Public Affairs Director T he CBA tackled some new ground in the fight against violence in Chicago neighborhoods, hosting a unique event designed to bring sorely needed legal services to help citizens in communities experiencing heightened crime and poverty. More than 25 community and legal aid organizations across Chicago were represented at the first ever “Lawyers Call to Action” summit hosted at the CBA on November 3. The event was designed to give lawyers an opportunity to meet leaders from community organizations and to vol- unteer to provide legal assistance to those agencies and the citizens that they serve. Enthusiasm ran high as lawyers circu- lated the room and spoke with dozens of representatives from community organiza- tions for more than two hours to network and share contact information. “This was a win-win opportunity for us because we were able to speak directly with attorneys to explain the legal services that we need to help the citizens of Little Village,” said August Sallas, President of the Little Village Community Council who attended with two other members of his organization. NATIONAL PURCHASING PARTNERS The CBAhas partneredwithNational Purchasing Partners (NPP) to offer members discount pric- ing on a variety of products. Employee discounts also available.To learnmore, visit www.mynpp. com or call 800/810-3909.

Lawyers who attended the Call to Action event worked the room to meet with representatives from community service organizations to discuss their specific needs for legal services. “We are very excited about the connections that we were able to make here today.”

Judge Thomas Mulroy. “Our goal was to help lay the groundwork for lawyers to channel their skills directly into commu- nities to help provide legal assistance for citizens who need it most.” The Call to Action event began with a 1 hour MCLE program on pro bono engagement that explored how lawyers can make a positive impact in communities, particularly those that experience height- ened crime and violence due to a lack of adequate infrastructure and resources. The community agency representatives made a short presentation to the attorneys about the specific legal needs that they were seeking for their respective organizations. The lawyers were then able to speak with representatives from the individual community agencies to discuss their spe- cific legal needs and share their contact information for future services.

The Call to Action event was the culmi- nation of ongoing efforts by the CBA to address community violence, including a summit last May that brought together city leaders from the legal, law enforcement, criminal justice, religious, education, and health care communities. Since that time, the CBA has continued to move the initiative forward, meeting with individual community service agen- cies to identify the legal needs of their cli- ents and residents in areas of legal practice such as housing issues, wills and trusts, state licensing, foreclosure, child support, parental rights and expungement. Laying the Groundwork “Chicago neighborhoods continue to suffer from an epidemic of violence that is destroying families,” said CBA President

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