CBA Record September-October 2025

to Athens, Greece, April 27-30, 2026. CLE programming with an international flair will be included. Special tours and social events will also be on the itinerary. An extension to Santorini is planned from April 30-May 2. Watch your inbox or visit www.chicagobar.org/Greece for more information. Expand Your Legal Network through CBA Committees It’s not too late to sign up for a CBA or YLS substantive law committee. Com mittees include everything from Adop tion to Workers’ Compensation. The programming year kicks off in September; meetings will be in-person, virtual, and hybrid. Attending live committee meet ings is a convenient way to earn Illinois MCLE credit at no additional cost (meet ings are archived for on-demand viewing, but archived versions do not count for IL MCLE credit). See a full list of commit tees and sign up at www.chicagobar.org/ committees. Send your questions about CBA committees to Meredith Loehr at mloeher@chicagobar.org; for YLS com mittees, contact Emily Anderson at ean derson@chicagobar.org. CBA President Judge Nichole C. Patton invites all members to join one of 10 new working committees aligned with her 2025-2026 special project, “AI 2035: The Legal Profession and the Judiciary in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” Justice Rena Van Tine, Illinois Appellate Court; Judge Megan Goldish, Circuit Court of Cook County; and Joel Bruckman, Smith Gambrell Russell, are serving as the AI 2035 Project Strategic Leadership Execu tive Committee. The work of the committees will cul minate in a multi-day CLE conference in May 2026. Committees include Access to Justice, Courtroom Operations, Crimi nal Justice, Law Firm Economics, Data Privacy & Security, and more. See a full list and sign up to receive email notice of meetings at www.chicagobar.org/ AI2035Committees. New AI 2035 Committees Announced

THE CBA PULSE

BY BETH McMEEN, CBA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin addressed CBA members at a “Lawyers as Leaders” seminar. Watch the on-demand video at Learn.ChicagoBar.org. Front row from left: U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman; U.S. Senator Dick Durbin; U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer; CBA Second Vice President Katie Liss; CBA General Counsel Howard Suskin. Top row from left: Circuit Court of Cook County Judge Michael Cabonargi; CBA First Vice President Trisha Rich; CBA Treasurer Jonathan Amarilio.

Justice John Paul Stevens Awards Join us on October 7 to celebrate Illi nois attorneys who have demonstrated extraordinary integrity and service to the community throughout their careers. The 2025 honorees are: Aurora Austri aco, Shareholder, Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel P.C.; John Bouman, Executive Director, Legal Action Chicago; Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall, United States District Court, Northern District of Illi nois; Michael R. Lufrano, Executive Vice President, Community, Government and Legal Affairs, Chicago Cubs; and Profes sor Michael P. Seng, University of Illinois Chicago Law School. The luncheon will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Union League Club. Make your reservation at www.chicagobar.org/stevens. 21st Annual Pro Bono Week and Community Service Fair 2025 Pro Bono Week activities will be

held October 27-31. The week, a pioneer ing CBA tradition, is chaired by CBA Second Vice President Katie Liss from DePaul University School of Law and Kimberly Washington from Ascend Jus tice. It features outstanding programs, including a Pro Bono and Community Service Fair with 30-plus organizations that provide pro bono legal services to the public. The fair introduces lawyers to a wide array of pro bono opportuni ties available through these organizations. The week’s programming will focus on empowering people and communities to give back and will include free CLE ses sions and a story slam focused on this year’s theme, “Justice Can’t Wait.” Look for more information at chicagobarfoun dation.org/probonoweek. CLE in Greece The CBA and President Judge Nichole C. Patton are planning a CBA CLE Abroad

16 September/October 2025