Join the Chicago Council of Lawyers for an afternoon dedicated to advancing the principles of justice, accountability, and the rule of law.

This special gathering brings together members of the legal community, civic leaders, and supporters committed to strengthening our democratic institutions. Proceeds from the luncheon support CCL’s ongoing work to promote judicial integrity, transparency, and access to justice.

Ticket Levels

Support the mission of the Chicago Council of Lawyers by joining us at a level that reflects your commitment to advancing justice, accountability, and the rule of law.

Your support at every level strengthens the work of the Chicago Council of Lawyers. We invite you to join us for what promises to be an engaging and meaningful afternoon.

Or, if you are unable to attend but would like to donate to support instead, please click the button below.

If you have any questions, please contact us at ccl@chicagocouncil.org or by giving us a call at 224-301-5808.

Program

Cara Hendrickson of the Illinois Attorney General’s office will be interviewed by Sharon Fairley of the University of Chicago about the AG’s litigation challenging the Trump administration. Liam Connell of the Patriotic Millionaires will then speak on concrete steps toward greater economic fairness.

Cara Hendrickson

Cara Hendrickson serves as the Executive Deputy Attorney General in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. In that role, she is responsible for advancing the strategic legal priorities of the office, including overseeing the Attorney General’s work promoting federal accountability and the rule of law. Earlier, Cara served as the Chief of the Office’s Public Interest Division, where she supervised the attorneys and staff who enforce the civil rights, disability rights, workplace rights, and antitrust laws, in addition to conducting investigations and cases involving the False Claims Act, consumer fraud, and energy issues.

Cara previously served as the Executive Director at Impact for Equity, one of Chicago’s most formidable law and policy centers, guiding its work for racial, economic, and social justice. An experienced litigator, Cara’s law practice focused on constitutional and civil rights litigation at Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. She has also practiced at Massey & Gail, LLP and Kirkland & Ellis, LLP.

Cara has served as a Commissioner on the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission, which promotes ethics in Illinois public service, on the board of the Public Interest Law Initiative, and on the advisory board of the American Constitution Society, Chicago Chapter. She was a Fellow in the 2014 class of Leadership Greater Chicago.

Cara served as a law clerk to the Honorable Ann Claire Williams, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (Ret). She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and received her B.A. from Northwestern University. She has a Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management certificate from Harvard Business School.

Sharon R. Fairley

Sharon Fairley is a University of Chicago Law School graduate and current Professor from Practice. Before joining the Law School, Professor Fairley was a federal prosecutor, the First Deputy Inspector General & General Counsel for the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General, and Chief Administrator for the Independent Police Review Authority, the agency responsible for police misconduct investigations. She also created and stood up the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

Liam Connell

Liam Connell is the former CEO of Allston Trading and founder of several algorithmic trading firms that were later acquired by Goldman Sachs and Sequoia Capital. His professional career has spanned technology, finance, entrepreneurship, and quantitative trading, including work at an IBM research center before transitioning to Wall Street and later founding multiple financial technology and trading firms.

Throughout his career, Liam has combined experience in technology and financial markets with long-standing involvement in advocacy related to human rights, democratic accountability, and economic inequality. He participated in civil rights activism in Northern Ireland and the Anti-Apartheid movement, and has continued to engage in efforts focused on protecting democratic institutions and addressing the concentration of wealth and power.

Liam’s work and advocacy draw on decades of experience across both the private sector and civic engagement, with a focus on the relationship between economic systems, political power, and democratic governance.

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