YLS Volunteer Programs

The Young Lawyers Section coordinates several volunteer programs for lawyers to give back to the Chicago community and gain pro bono experience.  These programs are designed to provide the public greater access to legal services, law-related information and volunteers from the legal community. 

Law Student Moot Court Competition
We need volunteer attorneys to grade briefs (October) and act as competition judges (November) annually. Click here for 2024 details.

Dear Santa Letter Campaign
Each winter, the YLS distributes letters from Chicago Public School students who have written to Santa requesting holiday gifts.  Volunteers then purchase a requested gift and send it to the child, with a note from Santa.

CBA Law & Debate Club
The CBA Law & Debate Club Committee sponsors lectures and activities for young men and women between the ages of 14 and 20 who are interested in careers in law and government.  Volunteer attorneys meet with students from Chicago area high schools once a month on Wednesday evenings and lead students in debates, simulations of opening statements, etc. Click here for more information. Email yls@chicagobar.org if you are interested in volunteering. 

Pro Bono & Community Service Fair
The YLS hosts a volunteer fair during pro bono week in October to highlight all the YLS' and the Chicago Bar Foundation's partner pro bono and community service organizations.  The Fair gives attendees and opportunity to speak with participating organizations, and sign up if interested in volunteering for the project.  The goal of this event is to engage more members of the legal community in pro bono and other public service activities.

Serving Our Seniors
The program designed to assist young lawyers in providing low-income seniors with legal advice regarding the creation of basic estate plans, including powers of attorney for healthcare and property, living wills, and simple wills. Estate planning experience is not needed.

Wills for Heroes
The Wills for Heroes Committee oversees community workshops at which volunteer lawyers create free wills, living wills, and other estate planning documents for local emergency first responders and their spouses or partners. Since November 2001, the Wills for Heroes program has prepared over 6,000 estate-planning documents for first responders. YLS volunteers will be trained on will writing and will go out to various fire stations to help local firefighters prepare a will.

Questions and New Program Ideas

The YLS is continually seeking new ways to engage with the community and provide young lawyers with volunteer opportunities. If you have questions regarding the above programs, or are interested in proposing a new YLS program or community partnership, contact 312-554-2070 or yls@chicagobar.org
 

CBA Law & Debate Club

A program for Chicago-area high school students to develop negotiation and debate skills and learn about careers in the law!

The Program

The CBA Law & Debate Club sponsors lectures and activities for young men and women from Chicago-area high schools between the ages of 14 and 20 who are interested in careers in law and government. The Club’s programming is coordinated by volunteer attorneys who meet with students every other Wednesday evening from September through April and facilitate role plays concerning legal and ethical questions. The programming features guest speakers from all facets of the legal profession and aims to help students improve important life skills, including public speaking, negotiation, debate and advocacy skills. There is no cost to participate. Space is limited.  During the 2024-2025 school year, most meetings will be held virtually via Zoom video conferencing technology, with a few in-person sessions throughout the yearClick here for the 2024-2025 program flyer.

Applications

To register for the Law & Debate Club, all applicants must complete both of the forms below prior to the first club meeting of the year:

1. Parent / Guardian Permission Form
2. Student Questionnaire Form

Contact

If you are a teacher interested in learning more, please contact yls@chicagobar.org. General inquiries regarding the program may also be submitted to yls@chicagobar.org.