It was an honor to serve as Chair of Illinois State Bar Association’s (“ISBA”) Standing Committee on Women and the Law (“WATL”) from 2019 – 2020. I am a partner at the Law Offices of J. Jeltes, Ltd, a family life transitions law firm located in downtown Chicago, focusing on family law matters, including divorce, parentage, adoption, as well as minor and adult guardianship, estate planning, and decedent administration.
One of the signature achievements of our committee during my year as Chair was the approval of the new Carol K. Bellows Women of Influence Award. Judge Bellows made history as the first woman in the country elected to serve as president of a state bar association. She served as president of the ISBA from 1977-1978. Additionally, she was the first female member of the ISBA Board of Governors, serving from 1969-1979. The award honors two individuals each year that raise awareness to the unmet legal needs of women, advocates for action addressing women’s issues, or promotes involvement by women in the legal community at all levels. The inaugural recipient of this new award was the Honorable Elizabeth Rochford, an Associate Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Lake County, IL. Judge Rochford was honored for her exceptional work for both in the courtroom and in the community.
Furthermore, in October of 2019, we proudly co-sponsored a luncheon celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, along with the WBAI, BWLA and CBA Alliance for Women. The event was held at the Union League Club and featured an inspiring fireside chat with Chief Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer and Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. The WATL Committee also sponsored two Continuing Legal Education (“CLE”) programs. The first CLE program was part two of the Girls in Crisis series held in October of 2019 at DePaul University. This outstanding program addressed Illinois girls who are victims of human trafficking, abuse and neglect, and who are in the juvenile justice system. In May of 2020, WATL co-sponsored a second CLE program titled, “Legal Issues in the Transgender Community” with the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and the National Association of Women Judges District Eight. This informative program covered a wide range of issues affecting the transgender community, including access to needed medical care and benefits as well as legal issues in the workplace. Lastly, as part of Women’s History Month, WATL held its fourth annual International Women’s Day Tea in March of 2020. The Tea continues to be a wonderful event bringing together legal professionals for refreshments and socializing to honor the contributions of women to the legal profession.
Our committee continues to explore more and better ways to serve women lawyers, and I look forward to seeing how the committee continues to contribute in the years to come.