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EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief
Amy Cook
Amy Cook Consulting
Features Editor
Justin Heather
The Quinlan Law Firm, LLC
Summary Judgments Editor
Pamela S. Menaker
Clifford Law Offices
YLS Journal Editors-in-Chief
Jonathan B. Amarilio
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Geoff Burkhart
American Bar Association
Carolyn D. Amadon
Shannon R. Burke
American Bar Association
Anne Ellis
Proactive Worldwide, Inc.
Clifford Gately
Heyl Royster
Angela Harkless
The Harkless Law Firm
Jasmine Villaflor Hernandez
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Michele M. Jochner
Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP
Ruth J. Kaufman
Stacey R. Laskin
Illinois Attorney General’s Office
John Levin
Bonnie McGrath
Law Office of Bonnie McGrath
Clare McMahon
Law Office of Clare McMahon
Peter V. Mierzwa
Law Bulletin Publishing Company
Kathleen Dillon Narko
Northwestern University School of Law
Adam J. Sheppard
Sheppard Law Firm, PC
Rosemary Simota Thompson
U.S. Department of Justice
William A. Zolla II
The ZOLLaw Group, Ltd.
THE CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION
David Beam
Director of Publications
Joe Tarin
Advertising Account Representative
CBA RECORD
PRESIDENT’S
PAGE
BY PATRICIA BROWN HOLMES
Justice for All
6
OCTOBER 2015
Law is nothing unless close behind it
stands a warm, living public opinion.
–Wendell Phillips
A
federal judge appointed me to
assist a young woman in a criminal
case. The client could have been
viewed as obstructive, belligerent, and
uncooperative. Drawing on my judicial
experience in Juvenile Court, I eventually
was able to draw out relevant and valuable
information that had otherwise not been
known to the federal prosecutor or the
judge.Working together, we arrived at the
just, and therefore correct, result in her
matter. In the end, my client was so pleased
that she brought flowers, smiles and hugs
for a result that she also believed was fair.
It was gratifying knowing that I had helped
her in that way.
Chicago’s legal community is rightfully
proud of the pro bono work that lawyers
do to increase public access to justice. Few
other professions give such a significant
amount of time and talent to help those
in need, and Chicago lawyers are second
to none in providing pro bono legal ser-
vices and financial support for legal service
organizations.
We celebrate Pro Bono week not just
to recognize the ongoing importance of
pro bono service, but also to encourage all
members of the bar who are not already
involved to consider giving their time and
talent in this worthy and much needed
public cause. While Chicago is fortunate
to have many outstanding organizations
whose primary mission is to provide legal
assistance and legal services to the poor,
the demand for legal services continues to
be far greater than our available resources.
Organizations such as the Chicago Vol-
unteer Legal Services Foundation, Chi-
cago Legal Clinic, Legal Aid Society of
Metropolitan Family Services, Equip for
Equality, LAF, National Immigrant Justice
Center and countless others provide direct
legal services, day-in and day-out, to those
in need throughout Cook County. The
Chicago Bar Foundation supports the
important work of these and other legal
service organizations through a variety
of special programs and generous annual
grants. This financial support is vital. If
you are not already contributing to the
CBF, I encourage you participate in the
Association’s annual dues check-off for the
Foundation, which is only $25 per year. If
you can contribute more, please consider
doing so as your financial support is des-
perately needed.
Self-Represented Litigants
SRLs are becoming increasingly common
throughout America’s justice system. For
a growing number of Americans, the cost
of hiring a lawyer for even the most basic
legal service is difficult, if not already
beyond their financial means. In addition,
the cost of filing a small claims or a law-
suit in the Circuit Court has risen. It’s no