IBF Awards $10,000 Grant to Life Span in Des Plaines

The Illinois Bar Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce a $10,000 grant to Life Span's Center for Legal Services in Des Plaines, one of 32 grants awarded this year totaling $304,965. Life Span provides legal services to victims of domestic violence in Chicago and the north and northwest suburbs. The $10,000 grant was made to support the salary of an attorney in the Des Plaines office, providing legal services to victims of domestic violence in the north and northwest suburbs of Chicago. The attorney provides representation to clients in both the Rolling Meadows (District 3) and Skokie (District 2) Courthouses. The Des Plaines office currently turns away 40 percent of the victims of domestic violence who reach out for services, because, although they fit in the guidelines, they do not have enough attorneys to take the cases. ISBA member Sandy Blake is the attorney in the Des Plaines office. She helps women obtain orders of protection and provides representation in family law cases such as: divorces, custody and visitation, child support, maintenance and property issues. As the charitable affiliate of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Foundation's mission is to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, especially for those with limited means, and to assist lawyers who can no longer support themselves due to incapacity. This past year, through the support of ISBA members, IBF distributed more than $425,000 to support these efforts.