CBA Record September-October 2026

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

Honoring Our Legal Community’s Pro Bono and Public Service Heroes By Miel Mott M ore than 600 people from throughout the legal com munity gathered recently to honor seven unsung heroes in our profession at the 28th Annual CBA/CBF Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon. From left to right: CBF President Elect Elizabeth Lewis, McDermott Will & Schulte; CBA President Trisha M. Rich, Holland & Knight LLP; Luncheon Co-Chair Sara Ghadiri, Chapman and Cutler LLP; Emory Robertson, Ascend Justice; Theresa Ceko, Loyola University Chicago School of Law; Christina Lopez, Jenner & Block LLP; Renata Stiehl, Circuit Court of Cook County; Josh Vincent, Hinshaw & Culbertson; Stephanie Hipp, McDonald’s Corporation; Lawrence Wood, Legal Action Chicago; Luncheon Co-Chair Jennifer Kobayashi, Aon Corporation; and CBF President Tom Panoff, Sheppard.

difficult for self-represented litigants (SRLs) to understand or complete successfully. Through his work on the Appellate Forms Subcommittee of the Illinois Access to Justice Commission, Vincent developed plain language forms that SRLs can easily understand and use. Vincent’s efforts have expanded access to justice for countless people and continue to make the complex appellate system more accessible. Justice Thomas L. Kilbride Public Service Award For more than 20 years, Renata Stiehl has built a career at the intersection of public service and community impact. Stiehl is the Senior Division Attorney for the Domestic Violence Divi sion of the Circuit Court of Cook County, one of the busiest and most complex divisions in the country.

Edward J. Lewis II Pro Bono Service Award Throughout his legal career, Joshua Vincent has been commit ted to the belief that justice should not be limited to those who can afford legal help. A longtime partner and appellate leader at Hinshaw & Culbertson, he established the firm’s nationwide pro bono program in 2008 and maintains a strong pro bono practice. In his own words, “True access to justice requires meaningful appellate review.” However, appellate forms are often filled with complex legal language and procedures, making them extremely

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