CBA Record September-October 2021

PRESIDENT’S PAGE BY E. LYNN GRAYSON Pro Bono and Public Service: The Highest Calling of the Legal Profession

The Chicago Bar Association www.chicagobar.org

OFFICERS

President E. Lynn Grayson

are less fortunate. Inspired by the success here in Chicago, Pro Bono Week is now a National Celebration of Pro Bono. The 17th Annual Pro Bono Week will take place October 25-29, 2021. The CBF also has led the way with its Investing in Justice campaign—the largest campaign of its kind anywhere in the U.S. Since its inception in 2007, the campaign has raised more than $18 million, which has leveraged millions more in additional funding through the CBF’s campaign grant process. Thanks to the campaign’s ongoing success, tens of thousands of low-income and disadvantaged people in our community can get necessary legal assistance each year, and the justice system continues to be better and fairer for everyone. The CBF’s recent Pro Bono & Public Service Award Luncheon held on July 16, 2021, confirmed that Chicago’s rich history of commitment to pro bono and public service continues. I was inspired by the work of the exceptional 2021 honor- ees and was honored to be a part of their well-deserved recognition. Congratula- tions again to Judge Maxwell Griffin Jr., Alyssa Phillips, Colleen Boraca, Andrew W. Vail, Sarah Grady, and Theresa Duck- ett (see the article on page 14 for details). We are fortunate that so many mem- bers of the bar share our commitment to pro bono work and public service. In its 2020 Annual Report, the ARDC noted that 31,325 Illinois lawyers had performed 1.8 million hours of pro bono representation and that 17,936 Illinois lawyers had given $17 million to pro bono

First Vice President Timothy S. Tomasik

Second Vice President Ray J. Koenig III

Secretary Kathryn Carso Liss Treasurer John C. Sciaccotta

Immediate Past President Maryam Ahmad

I t is the highest calling of our profes- sion to help those in need and to call out injustice and inequality when we see it. Lawyers have a moral obligation to commit time, resources, and legal talents to make sure the justice system is accessible to one and all. The privilege of earning a law degree and living a life in the law comes with the professional responsi- bility to advance the cause of justice and to defend the rule of law. As we celebrate National Pro Bono Week 2021, we do so with the understanding that more indi- viduals than ever before need support and assistance from us. Chicago has been a national leader in promoting and advancing pro bono work and supporting organizations that provide legal counsel to those in need. In 2005, the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation launched the annual Pro Bono Week to celebrate and encourage pro bono work and to educate both the public and the legal community about how lawyers and legal profession- als are improving the lives of those who

Executive Director Elizabeth A. McMeen

BOARD OF MANAGERS Michael Alkaraki

Hon. Charles S. Beach II Alexis Crawford Douglas Octavio Duran Robert W. Fioretti Malcolm “Skip” Harsch Risa R. Lanier Patricia L. McCarthy Hon. James M. McGing Hon. Clare Elizabeth McWilliams Juan Morado, Jr.

Brandon Peck Ashley Rafael Antonio M. Romanucci

Hon. Maria Valdez Sandra S. Yamate

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