Membership Appreciation Month is Here!
Complimentary Programs for CBA Members: Thank you for being a vital part of our legal community!
Leveraging LinkedIn for Personal and Business Development; May 12, 2025, 10:30-11:30 a.m., | 1 IL MCLE Credit |Online
Cost: Free for Members / $65 Non-Members
Register here
LinkedIn has become an essential tool for lawyers to enhance their personal and business development. This program will provide valuable insights into optimizing your LinkedIn profile, building a professional network, and utilizing LinkedIn features to create a strong online presence. Learn how to strategically connect with peers, clients, and industry leaders, and discover tips for effective content sharing and engagement. Whether you are a new lawyer or an experienced professional, this program will equip you with the skills to leverage LinkedIn for career growth and business success.
Speaker: Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the Center for Practice Management, North Carolina Bar Association
Boiled Up in Boilerplate: Ten Ways to Improve Your Contract Drafting
May 13, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. | 1 IL MCLE Credit | Online
Cost: Free for Members / $65 Non-Members
Register here
This course broadly looks at common miscellaneous provisions which lawyers often overlook in creating a modern contract which suits a client’s needs. This course will be useful to any lawyer who drafts contracts. Sponsored by LawPay.
Speaker: Claude Ducloux, National Director of Education, Ethics & State Compliance – AffiniPay, Board Certified - Civil Trial & Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Starting Strong: Essential Skills & Insights for Early-Career Attorneys
May 15, 2025, 2:00-3:30 p.m. | 1 IL Mental Health/Substance Abuse PR-MCLE Credit | Online or In-person at the CBA
Cost: Free for Members / $65 Non-Members
Register Here
This presentation is designed to give first-year and newer attorneys the practical skills, strategies, and real-world advice they need to navigate the profession with confidence. Learn how to manage expectations, avoid common pitfalls, combat stress and anxiety, and set yourself up for long-term success.
Speakers: Gina Crumble, Assistant State’s Attorney, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office & Co-Chair of the CBA Well-being and Mindfulness Committee; Karen Munoz, Partner, Dolan Law, P.C. & Co-Chair of the CBA Well-being and Mindfulness Committee
Empowering Senior Lawyers: Tools for Staying Relevant and Skilled
May 16, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. | 1 IL PR-MCLE Credit | Online
Cost: Free for Members / $65 Non-Members
Register Here
This course aims to help senior lawyers continue to do the profession they love, while starting the process of retiring and closing down their practice. The speaker will discuss how to stay current with ethics rules & decisions, and how to become involved with mutual mentoring groups where older lawyers share their practice wisdom with younger lawyers. He will also discuss the appointment of custodians and agents to make retirement transition work more efficiently and with integrity, which will be needed to protect the lawyers’ clients, family and hard-earned estate. Sponsored by LawPay.
Speaker: Claude Ducloux, National Director of Education, Ethics & State Compliance – AffiniPay, Board Certified - Civil Trial & Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Learn About the Cook County Veteran’s Treatment Court
May 20, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. | 1 IL MCLE Credit | Online
Cost: Free for Members
Register Here
The Cook County Veterans Treatment Court is a unique program specifically designed for individuals who have served in the United States military and have become involved in the criminal justice system. The goal is to assist those who have served in the United States military to reduce their risk of further involvement in the criminal justice system in the future and to improve their overall quality of life. Join the CBA’s Military and Veteran’s Affairs Committee to learn about the veteran’s court call, how it came to be and how attorneys can best position their military veteran clients to be accepted into the program.
Speakers:
Judge Michael Hood, Circuit Court of Cook County
Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke, Circuit Court of Cook County
Moderator: Joseph Cook, Principal Attorney, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago & Major, United States Air Force JAG Corps
Lawyers as Leaders: Cook County Clerk Mariyana T. Spyropoulos
May 23, 2025, 12:00-1:00 p.m. | 1 IL MCLE Credit | Online
Cost: Free for Members
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Join the CBA for a conversation with the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Mariyana T. Spyropoulos. This program will explore her journey from practicing attorney to public service, her first few months in the role, and her plans and goals for the Office of Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County in the future.
Moderator: Gail Eisenberg, Co-Chair, CBA CLE Committee & Partner, Loftus Eisenberg
Unleashing Calm: The Therapeutic Power of Animals in High-Pressure Legal Environments
May 28, 2025, 12:00-2:00 p.m. | 1 IL Mental Health/Substance Abuse PR-MCLE Credit | Online
Cost: Free for Members / $65 Non-Members
Register Here
Join the CBA’s Animal Law and Well-being and Mindfulness Committees for a unique program focused on therapy animals and how they can reduce stress and improve well-being. This program will educate lawyers about the legal frameworks surrounding therapy animals, their therapeutic potential, and how they can be used to reduce stress, particularly in high-pressure environments like legal workplaces. Attendees are encouraged to stay after the presentation to interact with therapy animals from the SOUL Harbour Ranch, Chicagoland's most experienced comprehensive non-profit (501(c)3) animal therapy program. Therapy dogs and miniature horses will visit The Chicago Bar Association to interact with attendees at this unique event.
Speakers:
Jodie Diegel, RN, MBA, LNCC, Certified Legal Nurse Consultant, Kaveny + Kroll & Founder/President, Soul Harbour Ranch Animal Therapy Program
Elizabeth Kaveny, Managing Partner, Kaveny + Kroll, Co-Chair CBA Trial Practice Committee
Tracy McGonigle, McKenna Storer, Co-Chair, CBA Animal Law Committee
Karen Munoz, Founder & Wellness Advocate, Roaring Grace Mindful Wellness, Co-Chair, CBA Well-being and Mindfulness Committee