CBA Record

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

A Fundamental Responsibility of Our Government and Our Legal Community’s Responsibility to Hold Them to It Justice for All

By Angela Inzano CBF ProgramManager

Yet today in Illinois and throughout the United States, we are falling far short of fulfilling our nation’s promise of ‘justice for all. Our Common Cause Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a long time champion for equal access to justice, made these remarks as part of a Senate floor debate in 2006. They are still true today. The CBF’s mission recognizes that as trustees of the justice system, lawyers have a responsibility to take a lead role in ensuring that system is fair, accessible, and efficient for everyone, not just people who can afford to hire an attorney. As the CBF’s new Justice Pledge (see page 17) underscores, fulfilling that responsibility requires us to use a mix of our time, money, and influ- ence for the fundamental principle of equal justice under the law to become a reality for everyone in our community. One way that all of us as CBA members can use our influence in this regard is by contacting your elected officials on access to justice issues. The CBF is your central resource for information on key policy issues impacting access to justice and how you can help. (Check out the text box at the left for how you can sign up for advocacy updates and alerts). Legislators don’t hear much from their constituents on access to justice issues, and you make a real differ- ence when you let them know these issues are important to you and your community.

Your support of the CBF also gives you a vehicle to come together with your colleagues in the CBA and larger legal community to speak with one powerful, collective voice on these issues with the federal, state, and local government. The CBF staff and volunteers work closely with the CBA’s legislative counsel and staff as well as the ISBA, ABA, and other local and national partner organizations to provide a consistent voice on these issues. Key issues the CBF regularly prioritizes at all levels of government are funding for legal aid and the courts, and loan forgive- ness and repayment assistance for lawyers and advocates in public service. The CBF also advocates on a range of other issues that significantly impact access to justice, and these collective efforts have made a real impact over the years. Two recent examples of where your advocacy, individually and through the CBF, made an impact on the state level this past year were the passage of key amend- ments to the Access to Justice Act and a new law requiring civics education for high school students. Access to Justice Act Originally passed in 2013 with broad bipartisan support, the Access to Justice Act created a pilot program to develop and support a much-needed hotline and net- work of legal assistance to help thousands of veterans and military families in need

Liberty and justice for all is one of America’s most cherished principles, and a fundamental part of the very fabric of our nation. Our founding fathers fought a revolution for it. Thou- sands of brave men and women since then–from Abraham Lincoln to Susan B. Anthony to Martin Luther King and all who fought with them–risked their lives to ensure that the principle of justice for all truly applied to all Americans. Justice for all knows no political exclusivity. It is not a Democratic or Republican value, but an American value. At the opening of each and every session of this Senate, we stand together and pledge our allegiance to this founding principle. Millions of schoolchildren pledge their allegiance every day to this fundamental tenet of our country. For more information on how you can get involved in legislative advocacy on behalf of access to justice, and to sign up for CBF advocacy updates and alerts, visit www.chicagobar- foundation.org/get-involved/influence or contact Angela Inzano, CBF Program Manager, at ainzano@chicagobar.org or 312/554-4952.

16 SEPTEMBER 2015

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