The Chicago Bar Foundation

10/08/2026

🎤 Join your Chicago legal community colleagues for one of the most popular Pro Bono Week events, the annual Story Slam, now at Hopewell Brewing!

Celebrate Pro Bono Week with an evening of networking, storytelling, and inspiration as audience volunteers share five-minute, justice-themed stories.

Whether you’re a storyteller or a listener, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Register here: https://bit.ly/3TxljxT

10/06/2026

Fall is an exciting but bittersweet time at the CBF as we welcome new Officers and board members while thanking our outgoing Officers and board members as their terms conclude, and this year is no exception.

With deep gratitude to outgoing President Tom Panoff for his exemplary leadership and service throughout his CBF tenure, we are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Lewis as our 2026-2027 CBF Board President.

Read more: https://chicagobarfoundation.org/blog/a-changing-of-the-guard-in-cbf-board-leadership/

10/02/2026

How we talk about access to justice matters.

In his latest post, Bob shares practical tips for talking about access to justice, from simplifying our language and understanding our audience to using stories effectively. He also highlights the new IAALS Justice Narrative Project and its framework for communicating around shared values like fairness, opportunity, community, and a strong economy.

Read the full post:

Following up on my latest “banned words” post last month, which was a reminder of what not to say when we talk about access to justice, we turn now to some tips for how we should talk about these issues, with the recent release of the new IAALS Justice Narrative Project to help guide the way. As...

09/30/2026

Celebrate seven exceptional attorneys and judges whose careers embody Justice Stevens’ legacy of integrity, service to the bench and bar, and dedication to public and community service at the 2026 Justice John Paul Stevens Awards Luncheon. The CBF congratulates the impressive recipients of this year’s award and is especially proud that CBF Executive Director Bob Glaves is among those being honored.

This year's luncheon will take place on October 20 at the Union League Club of Chicago. Learn more and get tickets here: https://www.chicagobar.org/CBA/CBA/Programs/Awards/Stevens_Awards.aspx

09/03/2026

🚨 NEW WEBINAR 🚨

The Above the Line Network (ATLN), a joint project of the CBF and the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), is hosting the Connecting the Ecosystem: Integrating Legal Tech into Self-Help & Legal Aid Systems webinar on September 23 to explore integrating legal tech into existing resource and referral systems to increase access to legal help. Participants will walk away with real-world case studies, practical integration blueprints, and actionable lessons learned from pioneers who have already done it.

✅ Register for FREE here: https://iaals.du.edu/events/connecting-ecosystem-integrating-legal-tech-self-help-legal-aid-systems
➡️ Learn more about ATLN here: https://abovethelinenetwork.org/

08/20/2026

The words we use matter, especially when we’re talking about access to justice.

In his latest Bobservation, Bob looks at the jargon, acronyms, and outdated language that can make our work harder for people outside the legal community to understand. Clearer language helps build trust and brings more people into the conversation about creating a fairer, more accessible justice system.

Some helpful new research just came out on improving how we talk about access to justice issues: the IAALS Justice Narrative Project. Before jumping into the practical tips this new report gives us to communicate more effectively, which I will tackle in next month’s post, I thought this would be a...

08/10/2026

The Investing in Justice Campaign is about more than giving. It's about making a lasting impact while connecting with colleagues and having fun along the way.

For 20 years, Chicago's legal community has come together to fund legal aid, expand access to justice, and change lives. See how people are having fun, building connections, and giving back through the Investing in Justice Campaign.
Learn more: https://chicagobarfoundation.org/blog/doing-well-and-having-fun-by-doing-good/

08/04/2026

The Above the Line Network (ATLN), a joint project of (IAALS) Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System and the CBF, launched the Nonprofit/Sliding Scale Law Firm Webinar & Workshop Series to introduce participants to nonprofit and sliding scale law firms—a proven, sustainable model for effectively serving people who are at or above the income eligibility line for free legal aid. Led by nationally recognized leaders and innovators, these sessions will help organizations explore nonprofit and sliding-scale law firms.

Register for FREE for the second webinar in the series on August 11, which will explore the practical "nuts and bolts" of building and scaling these models.

✅ Register here: https://iaals.du.edu/events/launching-scaling-nonprofit-and-sliding-scale-law-firms

➡️ Learn more about ATLN here: https://abovethelinenetwork.org/

07/31/2026

At this year's Pro Bono & Public Service Awards Luncheon, we celebrated the lawyers, judges, and legal organizations whose work strengthens our community and expands access to justice.

In his latest Bobservation, Bob Glaves reflects on that celebration in the broader context of our nation's 250th anniversary, exploring the ideals that define our democracy and the legal community's role in bringing those ideals to life.

Read more:

As our legal community honored seven amazing lawyers in our community earlier this month at the annual CBA & CBF Pro Bono & Public Service Awards Luncheon, we continued the recent tradition of kicking things off with a song to help set the stage for the event. While this was not Bruce Springsteen.....

07/24/2026

Thank you to everyone who helped make the CBA & CBF Pro Bono & Public Service Awards Luncheon a success. Your support reflects the legal community's shared commitment to expanding access to justice.

Congratulations to this year's inspiring award recipients, and thank you to our sponsors, volunteers, presenters, and everyone who made the event possible.

Read more and see photos from the day: https://chicagobarfoundation.org/blog/a-proud-day-for-our-legal-community/