CBF Launches 1st Annual Investing In Justice Campaign
The Chicago Bar Foundation this week launched the 1st annual Investing in Justice Campaign, a broad- based campaign aimed at individual lawyers in law firms and corporations throughout the Chicago area to build the capacity of the legal aid organizations that serve our community's most vulnerable residents. In addition to providing critical legal assistance to the most vulnerable members of our community, these organizations also provide the "infrastructure" to support pro bono work by lawyers, law firms and corporations, ensuring that there are appropriate pro bono opportunities for volunteer attorneys by investing in solid screening and referral structures and providing training, mentoring and support for volunteers under the supervision of expert staff attorneys. In this inaugural year of the Investing in Justice Campaign, all funds raised in the Campaign will be used to directly address a growing crisis in the pro bono and legal aid system: the combination of inadequate salaries and skyrocketing law school debt that is making it economically untenable for attorneys to pursue careers in legal aid. Many of Chicago's major law firms and corporate legal departments will be running campaigns at their Chicago offices in the next two weeks. If you missed your organization's campaign but want to contribute, or if your firm or company is not running a campaign this year, you can still help--visit the CBF website for more information.

Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic Adds New Staff Attorney
Kate Sharkey has been hired as a second family law staff attorney at CGLA. Kate has years of experience serving low-income individuals and families. She is a recent graduate of University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. With a double major in social work and Spanish language and literature, Kate brings to CGLA the capacity to enhance their services for Spanish-speaking clients. She has served previously as a legal intern at the Cook County Office of the Public Guardian and at The Legal Aid Society in Milwaukee. Prior to law school, Kate was employed for three years as a full-time child welfare specialist at Catholic Charities in Chicago.

Equip for Equality Hires Managing Attorney for New Special Education Clinic Program
Olga Pribyl recently joined Equip for Equality as the Managing Attorney of the new Special Education Clinic. Olga was formerly of counsel and a partner at the law firm of Monahan & Cohen, where she practiced in the area of special education law and other disability related areas. She is passionate about assisting students with disabilities and their parents. The Special Education Clinic is in the process of establishing a hotline and a pro bono network of attorneys to provide assistance to families in need. Additionally, the Special Education Clinic will offer more extensive representation in a limited number of cases, and provide self-advocacy training seminars. Seed funding for this new project was provided by the CBF. For information about pro bono opportunities with the Special Education Clinic, please contact Olga Pribyl at 312/895-7321.

Seyfarth Shaw Hires Firm-wide Pro Bono Partner and Director of Philanthropy
Allegra R. Rich was appointed by Seyfarth in January 2007 to serve as the full time Pro Bono Partner and Director of Philanthropy for the firm. Rich is returning to the firm where she had a ten year career in Seyfarth's Chicago office focusing on employment discrimination and litigation involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Sidley Austin Honors Pro Bono Attorneys
The Chicago office of Sidley Austin held a pro bono recognition reception last month honoring firm attorneys for their pro bono contributions. Over 60 attorneys were recognized for their significant pro bono participation, most exceeding 100 hours. Five attorneys were also recognized with the firm's Thomas H. Morsch Award For Pro Bono Achievement. Marianne Congdon-Hohman and Ruchi Verma received the award for their pro bono work in representing a former Chicago public school teacher who alleged that he was dismissed on account of national origin. Valerie Demaret-Fleming, a transactional attorney who stepped out of her practice "comfort zone", received the award for her pro bono work in representing a young man in a difficult asylum proceeding. Sharlene P. B. Hobson received the award for her dedicated representation of a man on death row as part of the Alabama Death Penalty project. Kevin O'Brien received the award for his exemplary representation as the primary lawyer for the Gay Games VII which were held in Chicago, July 2006.

Each month, this newsletter will feature a selection of pro bono opportunities. To list your opportunity, send it electronically to mbergmann@pili-law.org. Please limit descriptions to 150 words. Opportunities must be submitted by the 20th of the month to appear in the next month's e-newsletter.

Chicago Legal Aid For Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM) Seeks Volunteers for Family Law Clinic for Mothers in Cook County Jail
In September 2006, CLAIM launched the Family Law Clinic for Mothers in Cook County Jail. CLAIM is now seeking lawyers and law students with a §711 license to conduct intake interviews and provide legal advice to incarcerated mothers. Appropriate cases will be referred to CLAIM’s Panel Program for representation by a volunteer lawyer. CLAIM will teach volunteers how to give incarcerated mothers sound legal advice on family law issues, and referrals to programs that will help them build strong cases regarding child custody. Attorneys will interview the women at the Cook County Correctional Center. CLAIM requires that volunteers interview two women a month, which can be done on any day including on the weekend and can be accomplished within 2 hours, if both women are seen on the same day. No further representation comitmment is required. There will be a monthly pizza night on the last Wednesday of every month, which is not mandatory but fun, and where more intake forms, advice from CLAIM staff attorneys, updates and lists of women that need to be seen will be given out. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Molly Sharma at mollysharma@aol.com or 312/675-0912.

Volunteer Lawyers Program of the Lake County Bar Foundation Seeks Pro Bono Attorneys
The Volunteer Lawyers Program has volunteer opportunities for pro bono attorneys willing to represent low income clients in family law, consumer law, Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and preparation of wills. A joint effort of the Lake County Illinois Bar Association and Prairie State Legal Services’ Waukegan office, the Volunteer Lawyers Program has a strong demand for Spanish-speaking lawyers, for volunteers willing to represent domestic violence victims in divorces, and attorneys willing to advocate on behalf of clients who have had rental security deposits improperly withheld. For further information, please contact Susan Perlman at 847/662-6925 ext. 2334 or e-mail her at sperlman@pslegal.org.

Prairie State Legal Services Seeks Attorney Volunteers Prairie State Legal Services, Inc., Peoria office, has volunteer opportunities in the areas of family law, consumer law, collections, real estate foreclosure, bankruptcy and preparation of wills. The Peoria office serves Marshall, Peoria, Tazewell, Stark and Woodford Counties. There is a particular need for family law attorneys in Tazewell County. For further information, please contact Sandra Crow at 309/674-9831 or via e-mail at scrow@pslegal.org.

CVLS Seeks Attorney Volunteers for Guardian Ad Litem for Minors Program in Probate Court
A Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) is appointed by the Probate Court to represent the best interests of a child involved in a contested or problematic minor guardianship. The GAL investigates the people and issues and makes a written report to the Court. The GAL also represents the child in court proceedings. GALs meet with the parties and the child and may also interview other interested adults, review the child’s school and medical records, and, occasionally consult with mental health professionals and social workers. Some GAL cases resolve quickly and easily and require only one or two court appearances. Others take months. New GALs are assigned to CVLS staff attorneys for one-to-one training and support throughout the case. In addition, a detailed written training manual and sample materials are available. These cases call upon your skills as a negotiator and counselor as much as your legal abilities. If you are interested, contact Alecia Wartowski at 312/332-1916 or awartowski@cvls.org.

Loyola School of Law Business Law Clinic Seeks Attorney Volunteers
The Business Law Clinic at Loyola is seeking experienced attorney volunteers to assist 3rd year law students who staff the clinic. The students represent real clients with business matters in the for profit and not for profit sectors. The clinic does not provide litigation assistance to its clients. The volunteer lawyers mentor the students and meet with their clients and supervise the student's work product. It is a great opportunity to teach aspiring lawyers the correct way to practice law. Attorneys must commit to a minimum of one half day each week at the clinic. If you would like additional information, call Professor Joe Stone at 312/915-7130 or e-mail him at jstone3@luc.edu.

PBI Pro Bono Forum Set for Thursday, April 26th at CBA Headquarters
PBI will host its first semi-annual Pro Bono Forum on Thursday, April 26, 2007 from 4:00 until 6:30 p.m. at the CBA Headquarters. Pro bono coordinators from each law firm and corporate legal department and a representative from each legal aid agency will be invited to attend the program. There will be three panel discussions about the dynamics of and between agencies, firms and corporations. ILAO will demonstrate the newly launched version of IllinoisProBono.org. Time will also be available to share ideas and best practices with your colleagues and to discuss ways to improve pro bono relationships and opportunities. For more information, please contact PBI Director Michael Bergmann at mbergmann@pili-law.org or visit our website for more details.

Date Set for Annual PBI Pro Bono Celebration
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 5, 2007 for the annual PBI Pro Bono Celebration. The event will be from 5:30 until 8:00 p.m. and will be held in the Winter Garden Room at the Harold Washington Library. Additional details will be available shortly on PBI's website.

Attention All CBF-funded Public Interest Law and Legal Aid Organizations
The Pro Bono Initiative, in conjunction with The CBF and Illinois Legal Aid Online, is updating the CBF publication, “Pro Bono Volunteer Opportunities for Attorneys in the Chicago Area.” This booklet was last updated in 2005. To see the current version of this booklet, visit the CBF. This update will coincide with the relaunch of IllinoisProBono. org in the spring of 2007. E-mails are being sent to agency Executive Directors during the first week of March. For more information, contact PBI Director, Michael Bergmann at mbergmann@pili-law.org.

More About the Expanded PILI/CBF Pro Bono Initiative and How to Get Involved
The expanded PILI/CBF Pro Bono Initiative is now eight months old. PBI is undertaking a variety of projects to achieve its goals. Learn more about these projects and how PBI Participants from law firms, corporate legal departments and legal aid and public interest law organizations can get involved with the work of PBI. Two teams, the Pro Bono Manual Team and the PBI Program Planning Team, have already been launched. As the Teams complete their work, new teams will be added based on other projects PBI will be undertaking. Read more.

Save the Date for the CBF/CBA Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon
The 9th Annual CBF/CBA Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon will be held on July 9, 2007 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel. More information is available on the CBF website, or by calling Meredith Lovell at 312-554-1207.

Conference Being Planned to Increase Pro Bono Outside of Cook County
The Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice is planning a pro bono conference to be held in Springfield. The conference will be held June 14-15, 2007, and will present an opportunity to assess and maximize resources for pro bono outside of Cook County. If you would like more information about this conference, contact ICEJ Director, Joe Dailing at 815/962-9050 or e-mail him at jdailing@icfej.org.

PBI to Revise Pro Bono Manual
PBI has developed a collection of model pro bono policies from law firms and in-house legal departments, basic forms (including retainer agreements, procedures for opening pro bono files, and conflicts of interest checks), and information on malpractice insurance. This information is compiled in the PBI Pro Bono Manual and is available to firms and corporations looking to start or remodel a pro bono program. PBI is now in the process of updating this valuable resource. If you have comments or suggestions as to how to improve the Pro Bono Manual, please contact PBI Director, Michael Bergmann. With the help of several PBI Participants, the new Pro Bono Manual will be released in April, 2007.

Directory of Summer Associate Pro Bono Opportunities Now Available
The 2006 Directory of Summer Associate Pro Bono Opportunities at Chicago Law Firms is now available for download. View the Directory.

Past PBI E-newsletters Now Available Online
Did you miss a previous edition of the PBI e-newsletter? Past editions are now available on-line at the "News" page of the PBI website. Past PBI E-newsletters

PBI Website Updated
New content has been added to the PBI website. Check it out today.

Another Inspiring Pro Bono Story Featured During the 2006 CBA/CBF Pro Bono Week
K. had a rental subsidy through the Section 8 voucher program of the Chicago Housing Authority Corporation (CHAC). For several months, she had repeatedly complained to the landlord about a leak in her bedroom ceiling, but the landlord failed to make repairs. CHAC stopped paying the subsidy to the landlord, but the landlord still made no repairs. Finally, part of the roof and the ceiling caved in on the client's bed and filled her apartment with potentially harmful pollutants. Rather than make immediate repairs, the landlord merely covered the roof with a tarp. K. was forced to make an emergency move to an unsubsidized apartment because the apartment conditions were threatening the health of her children.

K. came to the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago for help. One of the organization's volunteer attorneys, Tim Furrow, an associate at Ross, Dixon & Bell, agreed to represent K. He filed a complaint in Chancery Court against the landlord for declaratory judgment. He settled the case and obtained $6,000 in damages for the client.

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In each edition, this section features stories written by pro bono attorneys about their pro bono experiences as well as perspectives from firms, corporations and legal aid agencies. Please consider submitting an article for an upcoming e-newsletter. Articles should be no more than 300 words and may be submitted electronically to mbergmann@pili-law.org.