CBA Record September-October 2023

YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

CBA YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

Pro Bono Opportunities are a Two-Way Street By Martin D. Gould

Chair Martin Gould Romanucci & Blandin LLC First Vice-Chair Kenneth Matuszewski Goldberg Segalla LLP Second Vice-Chair Gavin Phelps Phelps, LLC Member Service Manager Kernisha Padilla Latham & Watkins LLP Public Service Manager Theodore Kontopolous Internal Revenue Service Project Officer Aleksandra Petrovic Damisch & Damisch, Ltd Project Officer Stephanie Moon Armstrong & Teasdale LLP Secretary/Treasurer Alexander Passo Latimer LeVay Fyock LLC Co-Editors in Chief YLS Journal Jacob Berger Tabet DiVito & Rothstein Vice Chair of YLS Journal Joanna Kopczyk Latimer LeVay Fyock, LLC Co-Editors in Chief @theBar Blog Brian Bentrup Pluymert, MacDonald, Hargrove & Lee, Ltd. Teresa Dettloff Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office YLS Administrative Director Emily Anderson Nikki Marcotte Tabet DiVito & Rothstein

demic, in-person attendance levels thanks to Past Chair Dan Berkowitz’s leadership. The All Bar Networking Social is a per sonal favorite, not only because it is always a fun event with great one-of-a-kind net working opportunities, but because it reminds us of the Chicago legal communi ty’s unique bonds and our collective com passion and dedication to helping those most in need. As just one example, shortly before the 2020 Social, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the island of Puerto Rico and its residents. The Puerto Rican Bar Association immediately sought to raise awareness of the island’s devastation and to raise funds to support much-needed relief efforts. The All Bar Networking Social served as an ideal platform to speak to and mobilize the Chicago legal com munity. The YLS enthusiastically offered its support, and together we addressed the dozens of bar associations and hundreds of attorneys in attendance. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Illinois lawyers are strongly encour aged to use their skills to give back to the community and to help provide legal services to those who need an attorney but cannot afford one. The reasoning is that our system of law depends on equal access to the privileges and protections of the law, and those without means deserve competent representation. The need is great: according to the Illinois Depart ment of Human Services and the Illinois Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security, over 1.42 million individuals live in poverty in Illinois. Of those, 31% are children ages 0-17, and 44% live in deep or extreme poverty at less than 50% of the federal poverty line. An Illinois Supreme Court Rule requires lawyers to annually report the approximate amount of their pro bono legal service and the amount of qualified

T he Young Lawyers Section Executive Council began planning for another great bar year in August, when dozens of Committee Chairs, Vice-Chairs, Directors, Special Project Coordinators, and Officers met to plan the year’s events, projects, and volunteer opportunities. As always, the benefits will flow both ways: our community’s benefit from lawyers’ pro bono contributions of time and resources, and YLS members benefit from enhanced skills and networking opportunities. September, always a busy month for the YLS, kicks off with several of our most popular networking events. We feature a Back to School Bash for CBA law stu dent members that provides opportuni ties to connect with students at other law schools and to meet YLS members. The YLS also hosts local bar associa tion members at the All Bar Network ing Social, which brings together local bar associations and legal organizations for combined networking. Organizations are encouraged to have representatives on hand to share their respective legal orga nization’s history and purpose. Pre-pan demic, the YLS brought together more than 28 bar associations and more than 350 lawyers, law students, and judges at the event. Last year, we brought back the Social in-person and achieved pre-pan

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