By Deborah Glaser Chagal

The ISBA’s Delivery of Legal Services committee recently established the Joseph R. Bartylak Memorial Legal Services Award to honor the extraordinary commitment and dedication of legal services attorneys in Illinois. Joe Bartylak, who passed away in August 2010, was a long-time active member of the ISBA. He was an attorney who committed his career to the legal services profession, acting as Executive Director of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation for nearly 30 years, and helping to establish the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program. For Joe, providing exemplary legal services to Illinois’ low-income population was his passion and life’s work. The Delivery of Legal Services Committee and entire Illinois State Bar Association wish to continue Joe’s legacy by honoring a civil legal services attorney who also has provided the highest caliber of legal representation and services to Illinois’ low income population.

To qualify for consideration, the nominee for the award must meet the following requirements:

1. Must be a full-time employed attorney of an established Illinois legal services organization;
2. Must have been licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois for a minimum of three (3) years;
3. Must be a member in good-standing of the ISBA.

Additionally, the nominee must exhibit one or more of the following qualities:

1. Has provided extraordinary, compassionate and successful legal advocacy on behalf of clients who could not otherwise afford counsel.
2. Has significantly advanced the cause of access to quality legal representation for individual low-income clients.
3. Demonstrates the importance of providing civil legal services to the state’s most vulnerable citizens through his/her record of exceptional leadership, dedication and advocacy.

The nomination letter and accompanying letters of support or recommendation should address the nominee’s personal vision and commitment to the needs of Illinois’ low-income residents, his/her dedication to the delivery of high quality legal services, the nature of the needs addressed by the nominee’s advocacy, and the impact of successes achieved from the nominee’s legal services and advocacy.

Nominations for the inaugural award must be received by the ISBA on or before January 17, 2012. The application form and all supporting documentation should be emailed to Tracy Potter, ISBA Legal Department Administrative Assistant at tpotter@isba.org, or mailed to:

Illinois State Bar Association
Attention: Joseph R. Bartylak Memorial Legal Services Award
424 South Second Street
Springfield, Illinois 62701