CBA Record September-October 2025

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nikki Marcotte Kirkland & Ellis LLP ASSOCIATE EDITOR Anne Ellis 2E Services, LLC SUMMARY JUDGMENTS EDITOR Daniel A. Cotter Aronberg Goldgehn YLS JOURNAL EDITORS J. Kopczyk Attorney at Law CBA RECORD

EDITOR’S BRIEFCASE

BY NIKKI MARCOTTE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A New Opportunity to Make an Impact

L ike clockwork, one of the first things my partner of almost six years says to me each morning is, “Today is a new day and a new opportunity to make an impact.” It’s a mantra she has had for more than a decade—well before we started dating. To her, it’s a personal mission statement, a daily reminder to herself to find small ways to better serve her community. In sharing it with me, she invites me to join her in this mission and challenges me to show up for my own community as a selfless, more compassionate advocate. In the past few months, these daily remind

Katherine Hanson First District Appellate Court

Daniel J. Berkowitz Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston & Zimet LLP Jacob B. Berger Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC Amy Cook Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Anthony F. Fata Kirby McInerney LLP Clifford Gately Quarles & Brady Meredith A. Geller Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Judge Jasmine Villaflor Hernandez Circuit Court of Cook County Kaitlin King Hart David Carson LLP Theodore Kontopoulos Internal Revenue Service Kathryn C. Liss DePaul University College of Law Marissa Longoria Circuit Court of Cook County’s Clerk’s Office Clare McMahon Reed, Centracchio & Associates, LLC Pamela Sakowicz Menaker

ers have made me reflect on how I can better serve my community—particularly as a legal professional. And at a time where terms like “diversity” and “inclusion” are consid ered divisive and where serving certain marginalized individuals may be deemed contro versial, it is more important than ever for members of the legal profession to consider what serving the community means for them. What does showing up for our communi ties look like today? What does being a selfless, more compassionate advocate mean? As lawyers, we all understand that we have a moral and ethical obligation to provide pro bono services to people and organizations who do not have the means to pay for an attorney. But have you taken a moment to think about what that signifies? Just by donating some of our time, knowledge, and skill, we can make it possible for someone to access the justice system where they otherwise would not have been able to. We are help ing amplify their voices so they can speak out against oppression and injustice where they otherwise would not have been able to. We are positively impacting lives and strengthen ing communities even with the seemingly smallest of victories. Pro bono work is critical—not just because we are creating platforms and spaces for marginalized individuals, but also because it is an inherently humbling experience that makes us better lawyers and better members of society. It forces us to examine our own privileges. It encourages us to challenge our world views and recognize that not everyone shares our own individual life experiences. Pro bono work teaches us to actively listen to and believe our clients’ (sometimes harrowing) stories and meet them with understand ing, compassion, and empathy. It motivates us to fight harder for them—knowing all they went through to get to that point—and to ensure that their voices will be heard no matter what. It makes us want to do and be something more. This year’s pro bono issue theme is “Justice Can’t Wait.” It’s both timely and an apropos rallying cry. In this edition, you will learn about the origins of pro bono work and what

Clifford Law Offices Kathleen Dillon Narko Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Alexander Passo Latimer LeVay Fyock LLC Trisha M. Rich Holland & Knight LLP Adam J. Sheppard Sheppard Law Firm, PC Richard Lee Stavins Buchalter Kevin A. Thompson Levin Ginsburg Rosemary Simota Thompson

Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr. Circuit Court of Cook County

THE CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION Sharon Nolan Director of Marketing

4 September/October 2025