Illinois Judges Association Past President Judge Barbara Crowder (ret.) of Edwardsville was elected President of the Board of Directors of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois (LTF) at the June 2024 meeting of the Board held in Chicago. 

Judge Crowder is the Chair of the Senior Lawyers Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and is a member of its Bench and Bar Section Council. She is a Past President of the Illinois Judges Foundation, the charitable arm of the Illinois Judges Association. She has also chaired ISBA’s Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services and the Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee.

The Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois supports civil legal aid programs throughout the State of Illinois by making grants from funds received from annual registration fees of Illinois lawyers and the Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA). LTF has a board of directors who are appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association. Judge Crowder was appointed to the Board by the ISBA. The LTF awarded grants to 49 legal aid organizations in 2024 totaling $21,052,099.

Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad was elected Vice President. Joseph Torres, an attorney with Jenner & Block in Chicago, was elected Treasurer of the LTF board.

For more information about the Lawyers Trust Fund, please go to www.ltf.org.