CBA Sept.-Oct. 2020

PRESIDENT’S PAGE BY MARYAM AHMAD Compasssion is Golden

The Chicago Bar Association www.chicagobar.org

OFFICERS

nies employed tens of thousands of Dayto- nians. A perceptible middle class emerged, and most people were optimistic about the future. Historically, Dayton (which was like a smaller version of Chicago) was a major industrial and manufacturing pow- erhouse. Dayton was home to the automo- tive, paper, and cash register industries. Prior to World War II, Dayton boasted the most automobile industry employees outside of Detroit. General Motors and its workers churned out automobiles to a vehicle-thirsty nation, with abandon. National Cash Register (NCR) was trans- forming resale and retail worldwide. Manufacturing jobs supported many other professions too. Schools, hospitals, and the housing industry were also thriv- ing due to the success of manufacturing. My father worked in construction as a glazier, a tradesman who cuts, installs, and removes glass in buildings and in homes. His employer, Aluminum& Steele, moved from project to project. My father had grown up during the Great Depression and was very proud of the fact that his family weathered the Depression without needing government assistance or intervention. Even during times when weather slowed down construction or other economic challenges resulted in less work and wage reductions, he never relied on government assistance. The 1980s proved a different beast.

President Maryam Ahmad

First Vice President E. Lynn Grayson

Second Vice President Timothy S. Tomasik

Secretary Ray J. Koenig III

Treasurer John C. Sciaccotta

Executive Director Elizabeth A. McMeen

T his is one of those unique times in history when a significant percent- age of Cook County, IL residents are struggling financially and emotionally at the same time. The adverse financial fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic has many people on the precipice of eviction, fore- closure, business loss, crippling consumer debt, and loan defaults. Some of those struggling will invariably end up embroiled in our court system. If there ever was a time when the Golden Rule should apply in the Circuit Court of Cook County, now is certainly that time: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In the early 1970s, my hometown of Dayton, OH was home to seven Fortune 500 companies, and each of these compa-

Immediate Past President Jesse H. Ruiz BOARD OF MANAGERS Jonathan B. Amarilio Hon. Charles S. Beach II Alexis Crawford Douglas Charles P. Golbert Kathryn C. Liss Michael R. Lufrano Hon. Clare Elizabeth McWilliams

Juan Morado, Jr. Lauren S. Novak Hon. Nichole C. Patton Brandon Peck Ashley Rafael Trisha Rich Antonio M. Romanucci Ajay N. Shah

LAP is Here for You The Lawyers’Assistance Program is a not-for-profit organization that helps Illinois lawyers, judges, law students, and their families con- cerned about alcohol abuse, drugdependency, or stress related issues like anxiety, burnout, depression, and many others. Services (many now virtual) include individual and group therapy, assessments, edu- cation, peer support, and intervention. Learn more at illinois.lap.org.

Hon. Maria Valdez Adam M. Zebelian

6 September/October 2020