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All thanks to The Chicago Bar Association
T
he Chicago Bar Association joined
15 other area bar associations to
co-host the 2017 Vanguard Awards
Luncheon at the Standard Club on April
6. In keeping with the original mission of
the award program’s creation, this year’s
awards honored lawyers and judges from
government and not-for-profit organiza-
tions who challenge members of the legal
profession to be more representative of the
communities our members serve.
Vanguard Award nominees are chosen
by their participating bar associations, each
of which select a recipient they identify as
having made a significant contribution to
the legal community. The 2017 Vanguard
Award honorees were: Michael C. Aguhar,
Filipino American Lawyers Association;
Justice Anne M. Burke, Chicago Bar
Association; Chicago Legal Clinic, Inc.
Advocates Society; Susana Darwin, Lesbian
and Gay Bar Association of Chicago; Jus-
tice Robert E. Gordon, Decalogue Society
of Lawyers; David Herrera, Puerto Rican
Bar Association; Patricia Brown Holmes,
Black Women Lawyers Association; Sana’a
Hussien, Arab American Bar Association
of Illinois; Andrea S. Kramer, Women’s Bar
Association of Illinois; Sang-yul Lee, Asian
American Bar Association, James D. Mont-
gomery, Sr., Cook County Bar Association;
Mary Meg McCarthy, National Immigrant
Justice Center, Hispanic Lawyers Associa-
tion of Illinois; Tony Shu, Chinese Ameri-
RECOGNIZING THE VANGUARD OF THE CHICAGO LEGAL PROFESSION
Advancing TowardWhat Will Be
By Nina Fain, Editorial Board Member
can Bar Association; Sufyan Sohel, South
Asian Bar Association of Chicago; and
Adrian Vuckovich, Serbian Bar Association.
Since its inception in 1996 , the Van-
guard Awards have been a platform to
stimulate greater sharing of information
and resources among a diverse set of bar
leaders.This year’s ceremony reinforced the
importance of recognizing excellence in our
profession, as embodied by the volunteer
lawyers who help people in need.
Against a backdrop of world disorder,
the atmosphere of this year’s award cer-
emony was particularly inspiring. To a
person, each recipient spoke of the need for
lawyers to make an unwavering commit-
ment to help those in need. Each recipient
led the way in fulfilling his or her organi-
zation’s mandate to help the poor and the
needy, including victims of violence and
displacement who come to their doors.
Because the mission of the Vanguard
Awards is to recognize leaders within the
legal profession who step forward to raise
the standard of the profession in its journey
to assure justice for all, it was significant
that all awardees emphasized that the
volunteer work of lawyers is more impor-
tant than ever to preserve the values and
humanity that underpin American life.
As the recipients spoke in prepared
videotaped remarks, a hush came over the
audience. Everyone in the capacity crowd
appeared to be transfixed, many remem-
bering why he or she had taken an oath
to fight for justice for all. Lawyers are the
guardians of those who are voiceless, and
our advocacy can assure that the powerless
can achieve their dreams. In summation,
we will take a page from the remarks of one
awardee by quoting the philosopher Kahlil
Gibran, and remind our bar members that
“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but
in advancing toward what will be.”
The Vanguard Award Class of 2017. Photo by Bill Richert.
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APRIL/MAY 2017