McDermott Will & Emery senior counsel, Michael A. Pope, was acknowledged in a proclamation presented by the Governor of the State of Illinois on June 30, 2016.

Governor Bruce Rauner issued the state proclamation honoring the Founding Trustees of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF), which was established in 1999 with the passage of the Illinois Equal Justice Act. In his proclamation, Governor Rauner acknowledged the leadership of Mr. Pope and the other founding members as follows:

WHEREAS, Michael A. Pope, Timothy L. Bertschy and Christine M. Ory served as founding Board members of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation from 2000 – 2010 and as Founding Trustees from 2011 – 2015; and

WHEREAS, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation and its grant programs were strengthened through the leadership of Michael A. Pope, Timothy L. Bertschy and Christine M. Ory:

THEREFORE, I, Bruce Rauner, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby recognize the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation and its Founding Trustees Michael A. Pope, Timothy L. Bertschy and Christine M. Ory for the vital role they play in increasing access to the civil justice system for all Illinoisans, regardless of income.

As a Board member, Founding Trustee, and the organization’s first President, Mr. Pope has devoted countless hours over the past seventeen years to the IEJF’s mission of providing financial support for legal aid services.  Since its creation, the IEJF has awarded over $23.3 million in grants to nonprofit legal aid providers across the state serving the critical legal needs of approximately 560,000 Illinois citizens in legal crisis.