CBA Record September-October 2021

MauriceWeigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award Sarah Grady has already made an enormous impact within the legal community despite being a relatively new lawyer. She leads the Prisoners’ Rights Project at the law firm of Loevy &Loevy, where she has worked since 2013. She has shown an impressive dedi- cation to public interest and justice with a focus on prisoners’ rights that she traces back to a class she took at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. She also works to support other lawyers who are representing prisoners in civil rights cases and created a listserv that now con- nects nearly 300 members who can share advice and training resources about their ongoing cases. Sarah serves on the Uptown People’s Law Center Board of Directors and the Illinois Prison Project’s Steering Committee. Theresa Duckett is a pro bono champion within the corporate sector who has led by example throughout her career, especially in her current role at BMOHarris Bank as Associate General Counsel and VP, where she developed a pro bono program in 2015. Duckett has inspired many others to follow her lead, both within and outside her orga- nization. At a National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) workshop for corporate and law firm partners, she was the first person to speak up, committing BMO to take on six asylum cases. Many other legal depart- ments followed her lead, committing to take on more pro bono immigration mat- ters. This year, Duckett and other in-house lawyers worked with NIJC to sponsor an asylum clinic, creating a remote volunteer opportunity for even more lawyers to pro- vide pro bono services. Colleen Boraca is a Clinical Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law and the Director of the NIU Health Advocacy Clinic (HAC), a medical-legal partnership located at Hesed House, the second largest home- less shelter in Illinois. Working with her Exelon Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award Leonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence

students, Boraca has helped to secure over $1.2 million in Social Security benefits for their clients at HAC. Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, Boraca and her colleagues iden- tified the need for a space for low-income clients who were experiencing legal issues exacerbated by the pandemic. In response, they created the Covid-19 Legal Response Clinic providing new opportunities for stu- dents. Boraca has contributed greatly to the School of Law with her academic prowess and knowledge from her experience in the fields of poverty law and clinical education. Judge Maxwell Griffin Jr. has spent his nearly two decades as a judge serving vul- nerable families and children. He began serving as an Associate Judge in the Child Protection Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County in October 2003, where he has earned a reputation as a highly knowledgeable judge who truly cares about the community he serves. Most impressive is Judge Griffin’s devotion to supporting young children and families. Since its establishment in July 2017, Judge Griffin has presided over Cook County’s Early Childhood Court, which was created spe- cifically to handle cases involving children under the age of 4. In the demanding field of child protection, he prioritizes the well-being of the children he works with, aware of the role he plays in keeping kids on a path to success. As one of his recom- menders wrote, “If we brought back all the children and families that Judge Griffin has either reunited or for whom a loving family has been found, we could fill a stadium.” Michelle Gilbert has spent over 30 years in the legal aid community working in housing law. Most recently, she joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing as their Legal and Policy Director, where she has been instrumental in a variety of local efforts to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on renters. She leads the Chicago Covid-19 Eviction Prevention Project, partnered in creating the Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt’s Justice Thomas L. Kilbride Public Service Award Thomas H. Morsch Public Service Award

Early Resolution Program, and advocated for a new state law to increase access to Emergency Rental Assistance funds. Gilbert has also presented dozens of com- munity legal education trainings during the pandemic and was also involved in drafting, negotiating, and securing passage of the Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance.

Bibi Belknap Fernández is an undergraduate student in her senior year at Northwestern University and was the CBF summer intern for 2021.

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CBA RECORD 15