CBA Record April-May 2018

(Left, Center) Lightfoot and Rogers address guests at the luncheon.(Right) Rogers is congratulated by CBA Treasurer Maurice Grant.

ecutor and problem solver has launched her into the public eye as a champion of fairness and equality. Although the role has been not without controversy, her leadership has epitomized the spirit and career of Earl B. Dickerson. Her prior training and experience have prepared her to serve uniquely as an honest broker for a new era of integrity. Her calm, quiet voice unexpectedly challenges the problematic practices of some in the law enforcement community. She has successfully argued for reforms that help improve training for officers who offer their lives daily in pur- suit of a new breed of criminals who wear body armor and wield military weaponry. To assure that the due process rights of the accused are balanced fairly against society’s need for law and order, Lightfoot’s leader- ship has reframed the conversation about the allegations of criminality and the law enforcement culture. The other 2018 Dickerson awardee, Larry R. Rogers, Jr., is an outstanding personal injury attorney who has won hundreds of millions of dollars for severely aggrieved plaintiffs in cases often covered in the national media. Whether challeng- ing the rampant corruption of the Illinois Secretary of State’s corrupt commercial drivers licensing processes, and a cover up that resulted in the untimely death of an entire family, or demanding a prompt investigation of the circumstances sur- rounding the death of African American Sandra Bland after her mysterious death in a Texas jail cell, Rogers’ unwavering

and jobs. Yet when Hunley, married and became pregnant, gave the Supreme Life Insurance Company her notice, Jefferson pointed out to Dickerson that it was costly to the company when female employees did not return to work after they started their families. It was then that Dickerson developed a maternity leave policy for the company. That kind of thought leadership resulted in other prominent positions being offered to Dickerson during his lifetime. Those positions included being president of the National Bar Association; a board member of the national NAACP; Grand Polemarch of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity; presi- dent of the Chicago Urban League ; and president of the National Lawyers Guild, an integrated Bar association. Yet perhaps the most noteworthy achievement of all was that when Dickerson died in 1986, he was buried in Burr Oak, the Black cemetery he helped save. CBA Turns Spotlight on the 2018 Awardees Who Embody the Dickerson Legacy In 2018, two people who embody the Dickerson spirit are CBA awardees Lori E. Lightfoot and Larry R. Rogers, Jr. Each has more than 20 years of trial experience. Each has served in both the private and public sectors. Lori Lightfoot is a Partner at Mayer Brown LLP, and served as an Assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Northern District. Her signature experience as a pros-

IncomingPresident Steven Elrodand current YLS Chair Jonathan Amarilio were on hand to greet the recipients. Photos by Bill Richert.

commitment to fairness and due process is evident. His commitment to justice is evident too in his public service career as a Cook County Commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review. There he has advocated for community outreach and education, and for the reduction of excessive property assessments documented recently to be disproportionately burden- some for minorities in Cook County. In 2018, although racial inequities are dissipating, CBA members must remain hyper vigilant in their efforts to eradicate discrimination and recommit to the spirit of Earl B. Dickerson as we embrace a new, broader definition of diversity, cultural competence and inclusion. As the CBA looks to 2019, the legacy of Earl B. Dick- erson lives on in this generation of African American lawyers as they continue to lead the charge for equality and fairness in a racially charged society.

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