American Bar Association

At the December 15, 2012 meeting of the ISBA Assembly, two delegates to the ABA House of Delegates will be elected, one from Cook County and one from the area outside Cook County. The nominees for these positions must be members of the ISBA in good standing from the appropriate area. The elected delegates will serve for two-year terms commencing June, 2013 and will join the ISBA delegation at the ABA meeting in San Francisco in August, 2013.

The current incumbents are Joseph Bisceglia of Chicago and Timothy Bertschy of Peoria, both of whom are eligible for re-election.

Nominations must be made in writing by at least 20 ISBA members in good standing from the appropriate area. Nominations must be filed with the office of the Executive Director not later than Monday, November 26, 2012. Further information and nominating petitions are available from the office of the Executive Director, Illinois State Bar Association, 424 S. Second Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62701 or by contacting Kim Weaver at 800.252.8908 or kweaver@isba.org.

Chicago attorney Laurel G. Bellows was sworn-in this week as the new president of the American Bar Association. Bellows, a principal of The Bellows Law Group, P.C. in Chicago, represents executives in the United States and internationally.

She has several areas of focus for the coming year. One is to call attention to human trafficking in the United States. She has has been authorized by the ABA Board of Governors to create a Task Force on Human Trafficking in the United States that will develop a range of anti-trafficking projects and coordinate efforts with other groups on the issue. A second priority is to look at cybersecurity and the roles that private business and government have to keep our nation secure from cyber attacks. Bellows also will appoint task forces on gender equity and another on civil trials. She also will continue the call for increased funding of the court system in the U.S.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Loyola University School of Law, Bellows has practiced law for more than 30 years.  She practices law with her husband, Joel, in Chicago. They have four children and four grandchildren.

Howard T. Goffen, a pro bono attorney at LAF (Legal Assistance Foundation), will receive the prestigious American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico award for his work on behalf of low income individuals across Cook County. Goffen is one of only five winners throughout the country who will be honored on August 6, 2012 during the ABA’s annual meeting in Chicago.

For more than seven years since his retirement from the private sector, Goffen has devoted more than 7,000 hours of pro bono legal services to his clients at LAF. He has been primary counsel or co-counseled more than 120 cases and has helped his clients in numerous, life-altering ways. He has prevented the loss of client’s homes through loan modification, prevented the termination of Social Security benefits, defended hospital collections lawsuits and garnered unemployment benefits.

“Howard’s impact on LAF’s clients is enormous and he is more deserving of this award than any  other attorney that I have come across in my career,” said Diana C. White, Executive Director of LAF. “He comes in early, stays late and readily gives up his day off if need be. His dedication, tenacity, compassion and humility make him the gold standard for pro bono attorneys.”