2011 Pro Bono Week

October 24-28, 2011
"Kindness to Strangers"

The CBA and CBF will sponsor Chicago's Seventh Annual Pro Bono Week from October 24-28, 2011. The Week is chaired by Carrie Di Santo, Aon Coproration, and Diana White, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.

The CBA and the CBF launched our annual Pro Bono Week with the twin goals of honoring lawyers' pro bono efforts and educating the public and the legal community about how these lawyers are improving the lives of the less fortunate. In 2011, Chicago will be joined by communities across the county in the American Bar Association's National Pro Bono Celebration.

Pro Bono Week features several events for the legal community, including:

18th Annual CBA Young Lawyers Section's Pro Bono and Community Service Fair
Co-sponsored by The Chicago Bar Foundation and Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Tuesday, October 25, 2011; 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Register Now / See List of Organizations in PDF

Meet with representatives from 50 of Chicago's legal aid, pro bono and community service organizations to network with likeminded professionals and uncover the volunteer opportunity you have been seeking. The event will be held at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, 300 N. LaSalle St., Chicago. Refreshments will be served. Please note: This complimentary event is open to law students and lawyers of all levels of legal experience. The evening's program will indicate the level of experience required by a particular organization.

MCLE Programs at The Chicago Bar Association
Complimentary MCLE programs will be held at the CBA during the Week (unless otherwise noted). In the spirit of Pro Bono Week, attendees are expected to accept a pro bono case in any area of law within the next six months following the MCLE. Seminars include:

• Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Training
  Monday, October 24, 2011; 3:00-6:00 p.m. (2.75 IL MCLE Credit)
  Register now.
  
  Speakers: Patricia M. Nelson, Foreclosure Mediation Program Director, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services; Christopher Kim, Staff Attorney, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
  
  CVLS staff will train volunteers to represent homeowners in pre-trial mediation.  Attendees will learn: basic information about mortgages and the foreclosure process; why mediation is an important tool for conflict resolution and how the mediation process works; how to effectively represent your client in foreclosure mediation including information about relevant federal foreclosure relief programs, loss mitigation and negotiating a graceful exit. Volunteer attorneys with all levels of experience are welcome to attend.

• Walk a Month in My Shoes: A Poverty Simulation
  Wednesday, October 26, 2011; 3:00-6:00 p.m./St. Peter’s in the Loop, 110 W. Madison Street (basement) (2.25 IL Professional Responsibility Credit, subject to approval)
  Register now.
  
  Speaker:  Tiela Chalmers,  Former Executive Director of San Francisco Volunteer Legal Services
  
  Walk a Month in My Shoes is a 3-hour interactive training designed to help the legal community better understand the economic hardships faced by their low income clients.  Led by Tiela Chalmers, a nationally recongnized expert on access to justice issues, this unique training qualifies for 2.25 hours of ethics credit.  In this thought-provoking workshop for the Chicago legal community, attendees will participate in a simulation of the hardships faced every day by low-income clients in different family situations.  This workshop offers a the chance to understand how to work effectively with members of this community, and to consider critically the ways in which we deliver services.  If you have questions about this program, email Kelly Tautges. 
  
  

• Representing Wrongly-Accused Individuals in DCFS Expungement Appeals
  Thursday, October 27, 2011; 2:00-5:00 p.m. (2.75 IL MCLE Credit)
  Register Now.
  
  Speakers: Diane Redleaf, Executive Director, Family Defense Center, and Melissa Staas, Staff Attorney, Family Defense Center
  
  Learn how to represent wrongly-accused parents and child care professionals in appeals of abuse or neglect "indicated" findings by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.  An indicated finding may mean the loss of custody of children, restricted visitation with children, inability to adopt children, and significant risk of ending the careers of people who work with children, such as teachers and social workers.  These appeal hearings are an innocent person's first opportunity for a neutral review of investigators' findings against families.  Training topics will include an overview of DCFS investigations, a step-by-step walk-through of the administrative hearing process, and answers to common questions, including timing, discovery, witnesses, evidentiary and due process issues. The presenters will also discuss issues underlying these cases that offer opportunities for developing affirmative civil rights litigation.  Participants will also learn how they can help through the Family Defense Center's pro bono program.

Pro Bono Week Breakfast with Judges
Friday, October 28, 2011; 8:00 a.m. (0.75 IL professional responsibility credit, subject to approval)
Register Now.

Members of Chicago's legal community are invited to attend the CBA/CBF Pro Bono Week Breakfast with Judges. Here, members of the judiciary will lead conversations about pro bono in our community and all participants will have the opportunity to contribute their thoughts and ideas. The complimentary event will be held at the CBA Building, 321 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago. Special thanks to the Illinois Judges Association.

To learn more about pro bono opportunities, visit www.chicagobarfoundation.org, www.illinoisprobono.org or contact Kelly Tautges at 312-554-8356.