The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF) has partnered with the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company to create the ISBA Mutual Giving Circle.

This new and innovative initiative gives the opportunity to all ISBA Mutual policyholders to assist the IBF in furthering its mission of closing the gap in the civil justice system and assisting lawyers in need. The program allows ISBA Mutual policyholders to donate part or all of their dividend to the IBF upon annual renewal of their policy. Members who contribute a portion of their dividend will be enlisted in the ISBA Mutual Giving Circle while members who donate their entire dividend to the IBF will join the exclusive 100% Club. For their generous contributions, all members will receive recognition on the IBF and ISBA Mutual websites and on the ISBA blog Illinois Lawyer Now, in addition to a certificate of recognition. Members of the 100% Club also receive quarterly recognition in the Illinois Bar Journal as well as recognition in the 20 S. Clark Street offices.

ISBA Mutual Insurance Company is an Illinois malpractice insurance company created by lawyers, run by lawyers, for lawyers. Established in 1988 by the leadership of the Illinois State Bar Association, ISBA Mutual ensures Illinois lawyers have equal access to quality and fair malpractice insurance.

Join the Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation for the McHenry County Fellows Reception on Tuesday, June 27 from 5 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Woodstock Country Club, 10310 Country Club Rd., Bull Valley, IL 60098. The event will honor Herbert H. Franks (Franks Gerkin McKenna) and posthumously honor H. Joseph Gitlin (The Gitlin Law Firm) for their leadership and dedication to the law.

Tickets are $50 per person. Tickets and sponsorships are available here or can be purchased by calling the Foundation at 312-726-6072.

The proceeds from this event will help the Foundation further its mission to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, especially for those with limited means; assist lawyers who have fallen on hard times; and provide legal Fellowships to recent law school graduates. For more information, please call 312-726-6072 or visit https://www.illinoisbarfoundation.org/mchenry-county-fellows-reception.

Thank you to the McHenry County Fellows Reception Committee

Hon. Michael J. Chmiel

Sandra Crawford

Susan M. Goldberg

Paulette M. Gray

Lisa M. Nyuli

Mary F. Petruchius

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

Benefactor Sponsors

Perry J. Browder

Paulette Gitlin

The Gitlin Law Firm & Michael C. Poper

Simmons Hanly Conroy

Friend Sponsors

The Illinois Bar Foundation is joining the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice, the Chicago Bar Foundation, and the Public Interest Law Initiative in inviting Illinois attorneys to participate in a statewide survey of pro bono activity.

The survey was emailed this week to all registered Illinois lawyers, who are encouraged to fill it out whether or not they regularly do pro bono work. It is open through March 10 and available here,  Responses are anonymous and only reported in the aggregate. Those who complete it are eligible to win a $500 gift certificate.

"The Illinois Supreme Court has a strong commitment to supporting pro bono as a professional responsibility and as a way to meet the legal needs of the poor. In order to address the justice gap, the Illinois Supreme Court ATJ Commission and others need to review how and why attorneys provide pro bono service and what can be done differently to expand services," said Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, ATJ Commission liaison for the court. "We invite attorneys from all four corners of the State to join us and participate in this survey."

Judge Debra Walker, former President of the Illinois Bar Foundation, is the recipient of the 2017 National Conference of Bar Foundations (NCBF) Excellence Award.  The award, to be presented at the NCBF midyear meeting in Miami in February, recognizes an outstanding contribution to law-related philanthropy by an individual. Prior to her election to the Cook County Circuit Court in 2008, she was a partner at the law firm of Clausen Miller, P.C. where she concentrated on professional liability matters. 

Judge Walker has a long record of leadership in the legal profession. As a past president of the Illinois Bar Foundation, she served longer than any other board member in its 65-year history, holding the offices of Secretary and Vice President, as well as Chair of the Fellows program. A regular attendee at NCBF meetings, she served one term on the NCBF Board of Trustees, which included her service as chair of the Awards Committee and as a member of the Program Committee.  She also participated as a presenter at NCBF midyear and annual meetings. She was recently elected to the Illinois Judges Foundation board of directors.