FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2007
FROM: The Chicago Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Foundation:
LEGAL COMMUNITY”S “UNSUNG HEROES”
HONORED AT ANNUAL AWARDS LUNCHEON
July 10, 2007 (CHICAGO, ILL.) Seven local attorneys and community leaders were honored yesterday for their dedication to serving Chicago’s most vulnerable residents at The Chicago Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Foundation 9th Annual Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Luncheon. A crowd of almost 700 attended the event at the Renaissance Hotel which recognized individual attorneys for their dedication to the public interest and highlighted the need for increased support of pro bono and legal aid services.
“These awards honor lawyers whose passion for serving others is reflected in their extraordinary commitment to the ideals of equal justice,” said Bob Glaves, executive director of the Chicago Bar Foundation. “The awards underscore that no matter what particular path lawyers choose in the legal profession, attorneys can use their training and skills to help fulfill our nation’s promise of justice for all. Today’s honorees vividly illustrate the impact that lawyers can have in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our community and are an inspiration to all members of the bar to answer that call.”
With the support of more than 50 law firms and corporations, as well as individuals, the luncheon raised more than $300,000 for The Chicago Bar Foundation, a new record for the event. Nancy Loeb of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America and Mary Rose Alexander of Latham & Watkins, LLP served as event co-chairs.
The centerpiece of the event was the award presentations. Every year, The Chicago Bar Foundation and The Chicago Bar Association seek nominations from a broad cross-section of Chicago’s legal community to recognize some of the profession’s unsung heroes with these prestigious awards.
The 9th Annual Pro Bono and Public Service Award recipients are:
§ The Kimball R. Anderson and Karen Gatsis Anderson Public Interest Fellowship
This fellowship assists dedicated law school graduates who wish to commit their careers to legal aid work with repayment of their law school debts, which month-to-month often exceed their rent or mortgage payments.
Miguel C. Keberlein Gutierrez, Illinois Migrant Legal Assistance Project of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, is this year’s recipient. One of only two attorneys in Illinois dedicated to this particular area of the law, Miguel helps migrant workers by giving them access to our justice system
§ The Exelon Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award
This award recognizes the unsung pro bono contributions of outstanding attorneys in the corporate sector, and is designed to encourage other corporate attorneys to volunteer their time and talents to help those in need.
Randall S. Rapp, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Woods Equipment Company, is this year’s recipient. Throughout his 30 year legal career, Randy has committed himself to ensuring that underserved populations have access to legal counsel while inspiring many attorneys to join the cause. His pro bono work on a number of landmark cases involving immigration law has contributed to the emergence of Chicago as a national leader in immigration advocacy and impact litigation and has inspired many others to take up the cause.
§ The Leonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence
This award recognizes exemplary attorneys in academia who have made significant and lasting contributions to improving access to justice for the less fortunate.
Ralph Ruebner, a professor at The John Marshall Law School, is this year’s recipient. The founding Director of John Marshall’s Criminal Justice Clinic, Ralph has dedicated his professional life to improving the criminal justice system and promoting access to justice for those who are denied fundamental human rights.
§ The Edward J. Lewis II Pro Bono Service Award
This award honors attorneys in private practice who display a deep commitment to the fundamental principles of equal protection and equal justice in the community through outstanding pro bono service.
Ellen E. Douglass, a solo practitioner in Chicago is this year’s recipient. Dedicating herself to pro bono work for the past 28 years, Ellen has helped hundreds of vulnerable clients with their everyday legal problems while simultaneously encouraging, training and mentoring scores of other pro bono attorneys.
§ The Maurice Weigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award
This award celebrates the initiative and exceptional contributions of young lawyers to the profession, the organized bar and the community.
Justin Lee Heather, a senior associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom is this year’s recipient. While most young associates find little time outside their practice,
Justin has performed an average of 500 hours of pro bono service annually for the past six years. He has worked on a range of pro bono cases, from human rights to death penalty cases and has also served clients in race and disability discrimination suits.
§ The Richard J. Phelan Public Service Award
This award honors attorneys who have dedicated a significant portion of their legal career to the public sector, achieved excellence in their work and demonstrated a firm commitment to increasing access to justice for all Chicagoans.
James L. Dunn, City of Chicago Law Department, is this year’s recipient. An exemplary public servant, Jim has mentored hundreds of high school students from underprivileged communities in Chicago. For over 12 years Jim has helped them to better understand their rights and responsibilities under the law and to explore careers in the legal profession.
§ The Thomas H. Morsch Public Service Award
This award recognizes exemplary lawyers who choose public service work as a career, and includes a $10,000 cash prize.
Ann Hilton Fisher, Executive Director of AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, is this year’s recipient. A committed legal aid lawyer for over 27 years, Ann has transformed the ALCC into one of the most respected agencies in both the legal and HIV/AIDS service communities.
The Chicago Bar Association was founded in 1874 and is the largest metropolitan bar association in the country. The CBA is governed by a 23-member Board of Managers and has 55 Practice Committees, 23 Service Committees and 15 Special Committees, which provide a wide variety of services to the legal profession, the state and federal courts and the public.
For more information, call Linda Heacox at 312-554-2012 or visit the CBA website at www.chicagobar.org.
The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) works to ensure equal access to justice for all Chicagoans. As the charitable arm of The Chicago Bar Association (CBA), the CBF’s mission is a reflection of the CBA’s strong commitment to this fundamental American principle and our belief that the huge gap in access to our justice system today is a call to action for the legal community.
In Chicago, a dedicated group of legal aid and pro bono attorneys provide vital legal services to thousands of the most vulnerable residents in our community. However, due to a long-term underinvestment in our pro bono and legal aid system, tens of thousands of less fortunate individuals continue to lack access to legal assistance that is often critical to their safety and independence. Hundreds of thousands more are left to solve often complex legal problems on their own.
The CBF takes a strategic approach to closing this gap by building the capacity of our pro bono and legal aid system through grants, advocacy and other support and aggressively working to eliminate systemic barriers to equal access to justice. The CBF’s work is made possible by the generous support of more than one hundred law firms and corporations and thousands of individual donors.
For more information about the CBF, please contact David Gee at 312-554-1209 or dgee@chicagobar.org.
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