One of the goals of the Women and the Law Committee is to promote women in all aspects of the profession. One of the tangible ways we have done this is by nominating and supporting eligible and qualified women for the many professional awards given annually by this bar and other organizations which recognize excellence in the legal profession. 

Recently this committee joined in supporting the nomination of our current chair, Claire Manning, for the prestigious Laureate Award. Claire’s nomination was successful and she received her award, together with five other attorneys, in a ceremony held on March 23, 2007. 

Claire is pictured above with: Jewel Klein, this year’s other female recipient of the award; committee member and 2004 recipient of the award, Sharon Eiseman; and Irene Bahr, ISBA President and the founding member of this committee. 

The Laureate Award has been given annually since 2000 by the Academy of Illinois Lawyers, founded in 1999. Its purpose is to enhance the dignity of the bar in Illinois. The Award is the supreme honor bestowed by the Academy. Of the 73 awards given since 2000 only 13 have gone to women, including this year’s recipients Jewel and Claire. We congratulate Jewel and Claire and acknowledge the previous female recipients, namely:

Marta A. Mills (2000)
Esther Rothsten (2000)
Mary Lee Leahy (2001)
Esther O. Kegan (2002)
Theordora Gordon (2003)
Dolores Hanna (2003)
Madalyn Maxwell (2003)
Sharon Eiseman (2004)
Diane C. Gerahty (2005)
Carol Hans Posegate (2005)
Lois J. Woods (2006)

This Committee looks forward to hearing about and having more opportunities to support the nominations of other women for prestigious awards and career acknowledgments. Through these opportunities we will further the goal of promoting women in the law.

Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Crawford * 
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*Sandra is the principle in the Law Offices of Sandra Crawford, 77 West Washington, Suite 1515, Chicago, IL 60602. www.lawcrawford.com, she practices in the areas of family law, mediation, Collaborative Practice (www.collaborativepractice.com), real estate and Mechanic Lien Foreclosures.