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Illinois Bar Foundation

  • October 6, 2014 | Practice News | ISBA News
    Illinois Bar Foundation to administer expansion of Illinois JusticeCorps

    The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association, will administer the statewide expansion of Illinois JusticeCorps to recruit, train and supervise college, university and law students to serve as guides in courthouses.

    Launched as a pilot project in Chicago in 2009, the program was expanded in 2012 with AmeriCorps funding from the Serve Illinois Commission, and additional funding and significant in-kind support from The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) and the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice. The program currently provides assistance at the Daley Center in Chicago and courthouses in Markham and Bloomington. The IBF will administer the expansion into seven additional courthouses around the state including those in Rockford, Waukegan, Kankakee, Champaign, Galesburg, Macomb and Edwardsville. The CBF will continue to partner with the IBF for the Cook County portion of the program.

    “Volunteers are trained to provide navigational assistance to unrepresented litigants in overburdened courts, often helping them find existing legal self-help centers so they are able to obtain the help they need,” said David M. Anderson, IBF executive director. “Their work does not replace the work of courts, attorneys, clerks or help-desk staff but complements it by helping self-represented litigants find available resources quickly so people can be served more promptly.”

    Volunteers make a 300-hour commitment and come from local schools and universities including DePaul University, Loyola University, Governors State University, Roosevelt University, Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, The John Marshall Law School and the University of Illinois at Champaign.

  • September 15, 2014 | Events
    IBF to honor Birnbaum with Distinguished Award for Excellence at 16th Annual Gala

    The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF) will present its Distinguished Award for Excellence to Peter J. Birnbaum, president and CEO of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. on Oct. 17 at the 16th Annual Gala.

    The 2014 Gala will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago. The event is co-chaired by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke, Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. IBF board co-chairs are Deane B. Brown, Beermann Pritikin Mirabelli Swerdlove LLP, and Shawn S. Kasserman, Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC.

    The award, selected by the Illinois Bar Foundation’s board of directors, celebrates one attorney each year for making a major contribution to law and society. Past winners include Mayor Richard M. Daley, Scott Turow, Mary A. Dempsey, Jerold S. Solovy, Joseph A. Power, Jr., Bernard M. Judge, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Burke, and Newton N. Minow. IBF is the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association,

  • August 14, 2014 | ISBA News
    Illinois Bar Foundation elects new officers

    The Illinois Bar Foundation has elected its officers for the organization’s 2014-15 Fiscal Year. They are: James M. Lestikow, partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, president; Shawn S. Kasserman, founding member, Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC, first vice president; Elizabeth A. Kaveny, partner, Burke Wise Morrissey & Kaveny, second vice president; and Perry J. Browder, shareholder, Simmons Hanly Conroy, third vice president.

    The mission of the Illinois Bar Foundation is to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, for those with limited means, and to assist lawyers who can no longer support themselves due to incapacity. This year, the Foundation will distribute close to $400,000 in grants to legal aid organizations across the state of Illinois, and in Lawyers Care Fund support to attorneys and their families in need. The Illinois Bar Foundation is located at 20 S. Clark St., Suite 910, Chicago, IL  60603, and the phone number is (312) 726-6072.

  • July 11, 2014 | Events
    ISBA, IBF, IJA and WBAI to team up for Race Judicata

    The Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Bar Foundation, Illinois Judges Association and Women’s Bar Association of Illinois are teaming up for four times the fun at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) 20th annual Race Judicata Sprint for Justice 5K Run/Walk. This fundraising event takes place on Sept. 4 in Chicago’s Grant Park.

    T-shirts will be provided for team members. All proceeds from Race Judicata go to the general operating costs of CVLS, which works to provide legal services to the poor and working poor of Chicago. The four organizations will host a tent that will serve as the main gathering point for ISBA, IBF, IJA and WBAI members. Food and water will be available at the tent. The entry fee is $34 through August 22nd. Register under the team name WBAI/ IJA/ ISBA/ IBF at http://www.cvls.org/judicata

  • July 11, 2014 | ISBA News
    IBF names first recipients of Post Graduate Legal Fellowship Program

    The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association, has awarded its inaugural Post Graduate Legal Fellowship Program grants to three 2014 law school graduates.

    Post graduate legal fellowships were awarded this summer to Alexis Simmons, Northern Illinois University College of Law; Juan Mejia, University of Illinois College of Law; and Emily Vaughan, Loyola University Chicago School of Law. The fellowships will provide clinical support for three law school legal clinics.

    The foundation launched its Post Graduate Legal Fellowship Program to fund public interest jobs for recent law graduates, according to James Lestikow, IBF president. The foundation will award $25,000 to each of the three fellowships. The law schools will each contribute a stipend to help fund the positions.

    “There is a growing need for more public interest lawyers to serve the underrepresented members of our community,” said David M. Anderson, IBF executive director. “The fellowship program was created to provide on-the-job training for new lawyers while simultaneously helping to fill the gap in legal aid services. We are extremely pleased to partner with these three top law schools on this inaugural fellowship program.”

  • July 7, 2014 | Practice News
    Illinois Bar Foundation announces over $240,000 in grants

    The Illinois Bar Foundation has approved 30 grants totaling $242,500 which will be distributed to nonprofit legal aid organizations statewide.

    Illinois Bar Foundation grant recipients for FY14 are:

  • June 26, 2014 | ISBA News | Events
    IBF to host reception honoring Paula H. Holderman on July 17

    Please join the ISBA Board of Governors and the IBF Board of Directors at a reception honoring ISBA Immediate Past President Paula H. Holderman. The reception will be held on Thursday, July 17, from 5-7 p.m. at the ISBA Chicago Office. Tickets are $50.

    Register online or by calling the IBF at 312.726.6072.

    Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

    The Illinois Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association and is dedicated to improving access to justice to those most vulnerable, helping attorneys and their families in need, and to providing year-long legal Fellowships to new attorneys working in legal aid clinics.

  • May 15, 2014 | Events
    IBF to host Winnebago County Fellows reception on May 28

    Winnebago County attorneys Joseph Dailing, Bobbie Holzwarth and Nancy Hyzer will be honored by the Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation at a reception on Wednesday, May 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Prairie Street Brewhouse, 200 Prairie St., in Rockford.

    The extraordinary attorneys are being honored for their professionalism and commitment to assist the legal profession in serving the public. The mission of the Illinois Bar Foundation is to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, especially for those with limited means, and to assist lawyers who have fallen upon hard times.

    Individual tickets are $40 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (312) 726-6072. The Illinois Bar Foundation is located at 20 S. Clark St., Suite 910, Chicago, IL  60603. Information also is available at www.illinoisbarfoundation.org.

  • April 29, 2014 | Events
    Illinois Bar Foundation to honor Kinnally, Rogaliner

    The Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation will honor Patrick Kinnally and Susan Rogaliner on May 22. The Kane County Fellows Reception will be held at Riverside Reception, 35 N. River Lane in Geneva. The event takes place from 5-6:30 and tickets are $40.

    Tickets and information are available at illinoisbarfoundation.org. The Illinois Bar Foundation would like to thank Patron Sponsor ISBA Mutual Insurance Company and Friend Sponsors Lisa M. Nyuli, Turner Law Offices, Law Elder Law and Kinnally Flaherty, Krentz, Loran, Hodge & Masur PC.

  • February 24, 2014 | Events
    Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon to play Lawyers Rock Legends

    Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon will make a guest appearance at the IBF’s Lawyers Rock Legends on Thursday, February 27, 2014. Lt. Gov. Simon will perform with the 5-thirty band; which consists of lawyers John Locallo, Carlos Vera, and Thomas Battista among other talented musicians. Lawyers Rock Legends is the IBF’s second largest fundraiser of the year. Proceeds from this event go towards helping lawyers in need and ensuring access to justice. Tickets for the event are still available. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

    Learn more and register at www.illinoisbarfoundation.org or by calling the Illinois Bar Foundation at 312.726.6072.

    Proceeds from this event benefit the charitable programs of the IBF.