Chicago Council of Lawyers

Commitment to Justice Awards
2023-06-08 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Ivy Room, 12 East Ohio Street, Chicago, IL, 60611
For over 25 years, the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts have made the Collaboration for Justice. Together, our Collaboration for Justice works to interrupt cycles of poverty, mass incarceration, and racial injustice perpetrated by all aspects of the legal system—but this work would be impossible without collaboration with our community and the generosity of our dedicated volunteers.
Our Collaboration for Justice is thrilled to announce that on Thursday, June 8, 2023, we will gather at the Ivy Room in Chicago for our Commitment to Justice Awards.

When: Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Where: Ivy Room (12 East Ohio Street, Chicago IL 60611)

Join us for food, drinks, conversation, and to honor extraordinary community members and dedicated pro bono partners. Get your tickets here.

We will honor Illinois State Senator Robert Peters with our Commitment to Justice Award, Matthew McLoughlin with our Partner in Justice Award, and will spotlight DLA Piper, Lotis Blue Consulting, and Kirkland & Ellis for their pro bono contributions to our research and advocacy. You can learn more about them here.
We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, Associate Professor of Sociology at Brown University and affiliated scholar with the American Bar Foundation in Chicago, to deliver our keynote address! Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, PhD, is a native-Chicagoan and first generation college graduate whose research examines how the criminal system reproduces racism. Her first book, Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America’s Largest Criminal Court, is the winner of 11 awards and finalist distinctions; her second book, The Waiting Room, is part of the series “The Southside” from Amazon Original Stories in collaboration with The Marshall Project. Nicole is also a proud three-time (BA, MA, PhD) alumni of Northwestern University, during which time she was a Chicago Appleseed research fellow.

View the event flyer here.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Want to become an event sponsor? Click here.

Champion Sponsors: Goldberg Kohn | Harrison & Held | Jones Day | Loevy & Loevy | PWC
Partner Sponsors: Sonya Naar | Dr. Mary Pattillo
Advocate Sponsors: Donncha Carroll

July 20: Annual Police Accountability Forum
2023-07-20 07:00 - 09:00
Join the Chicago Council of Lawyers and the American Constitution Society – Chicago Lawyers Chapter on Thursday, July 20, 2023 for our Annual Police Accountability Forum, streaming online at CollaborationForJustice.org.
We will discuss the state of policing, oversight, and reform in Chicago with Sharon Fairley, Professor from Practice at the University of Chicago Law School, as moderator.
Confirmed speakers include Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago, Andrea Kersten, Chief Administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, Jamie Kalven of the Invisible Institute, Remel Terry of the Chicago Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, and Arewa Karen Winters of the District Council in the 15th Police District.
When & Where? July 20 at 12:00 PM
Registration? Click here to register!
Attendees who are lawyers in Illinois are eligible for 1.5 hours of general CLE credit (pending approval) but must register in advance.

OCTOBER 26, 2023 | COLLABORATION FOR JUSTICE FOUNDER’S IMPACT FUNDRAISER
2023-10-26 13:00 - 16:00 | Ivy Room, 12 East Ohio Street, Chicago, IL, 60611
Founder’s Impact Fundraiser
Join the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual fundraiser on on October 26, 2023, at the Ivy Room in Chicago (12 East Ohio Street). For this year’s annual celebration, we will honor the team at Loevy & Loevy with our Commitment to Justice Award and celebrate several influential partners in the Collaboration for Justice’s history with our Founder’s Impact Award.

Click here to purchase your ticket for the event.

Your sponsorship supports our work to find anti-racist solutions to systematic systemic injustices and fight for their implementation. Your sponsorship is tax-deductible, less the cost of dinner for attendees.

Click here to purchase a sponsorship.

October 28th, 2024: Annual Meeting of the Chicago Council of Lawyers
2024-10-28 12:30 - 15:00 | Loevy & Loevy, 311 N Aberdeen Street, Chicago, IL
We hope you will join us at our annual members’ meeting on Monday, October 28th, 2024, at 5:30 pm!

This free informal event will include remarks from current and future Board of Governors leadership, as well as a presentation from Chicago Council of Lawyers staff. We’ll have plenty of opportunity to chat about the Council’s work and discuss how to become more involved with programming or leadership.
RSVP today: https://secure.chicagoappleseed.org/np/clients/caffj/eventRegistration.jsp?forwardedFromSecureDomain=1&event=138

People Over Punishment: Collaboration for Justice Annual Fundraiser on November 7th
2024-11-07 12:00 - 15:00 | Maggiano’s Little Italy, 516 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL
People Over Punishment – Thursday, November 7, 2024

Get your tickets today for the annual fall fundraiser of the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers on November 7, 2024, at 6:00 PM at Maggiano’s Little Italy (516 N. Clark Street, Chicago).
The event will feature a keynote by the City of Chicago’s first-ever Deputy Mayor of Community Safety, Garien Gatewood, and an interactive conversation with the Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers research team, Naomi Johnson, Austin Segal, and Elizabeth Monkus, who will present on our 2024 research and advocacy efforts to put people over punishment.
We will discuss how civil asset forfeiture, electronic monitoring, criminalization of gun possession and other aspects of the legal system are related systems of oppression that disproportionately impact low-income Chicagoans. We will discuss how our work aims to disrupt these systems and put people first. We will also highlight some key topics we will continue to research into 2025.

Click here to purchase tickets today!
To help sustain our work, you can also purchase a tax-deductible sponsorship.

Please reach out to Ali Longbottom at ali@chicagoappleseed.org if you have questions about our sponsorship options.

Annual Fall Fundraiser | Cultivating Seeds of Change
2025-11-10 12:00 - 15:00 | Ivy Room, 12 East Ohio Street, Chicago, IL, 60611
Cultivating Seeds of Change
From policy to practice, we’re planting the seeds that transform courts, communities, and culture.
Join Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual fall fundraiser on Monday, November 10 at 6:00 pm at the Ivy Room (12 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611) to celebrate where we’ve been and where we’re going—and how we’re staying rooted in justice along the way.
We’re thrilled to welcome Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as our guest of honor, who we’ll be presenting with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades-long commitment to promoting policies and practices to improve equity and accessible justice. President Preckwinkle and Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr., will join us as featured speakers.

RSVP: https://secure.chicagoappleseed.org/forms/tickets
Sponsor: https://secure.chicagoappleseed.org/forms/sponsorships
Click here for more details about becoming a sponsor.

Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Chicago Appleseed and Chicago Council of Lawyers do not endorse, support, or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by speaker(s)/participant(s) are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Chicago Appleseed, its staff, or the Board of Directors. All donations to Chicago Appleseed are tax-deductible, less the cost of services rendered, and will be used for charitable purposes consistent with our mission.

Monday, November 10: Cultivating Seeds of Change
2025-11-10 12:00 - 15:00 | Ivy Room, 12 East Ohio Street, Chicago, IL, 60611
From policy to practice, we’re planting the seeds that transform courts, communities, and culture.
Join Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual fall fundraiser on Monday, November 10 at 6:00 pm at the Ivy Room (12 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611) to celebrate where we’ve been and where we’re going—and how we’re staying rooted in justice along the way.
We’re thrilled to welcome Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle as our guest of honor and keynote speaker, who we’ll be presenting with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades-long commitment to promoting policies and practices to improve equity and accessible justice. President Preckwinkle will be joined by Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr., as a featured speaker. Learn more about them below.
Get your tickets.
Become a sponsor.

Learn more about sponsorship options here.

All donations to Chicago Appleseed in support of the Cultivating Seeds of Justice event are tax-deductible, less the cost of services rendered, and will be used for charitable purposes consistent with our mission. Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We do not endorse, support, or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by speaker(s)/participant(s) are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Chicago Appleseed, its staff, or the Board of Directors.

President Toni Preckwinkle is the 35th president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, an office she has held since 2010. She is the first Black woman to be elected to the office. A dedicated and effective public servant, President Preckwinkle has worked to transform County government through increased fiscal responsibility, transparency, and improved services. As the top executive in Cook County, the nation’s second most populous County, President Preckwinkle oversees one of the nation’s largest public health and hospitals systems and one of the nation’s largest criminal justice systems. Under her leadership, Cook County used the Affordable Care Act to create CountyCare, a managed care program for Medicaid-eligible residents; Cook County provides quality care to more than 500,000 individuals through the health system and health plan. President Preckwinkle has remained committed to reimagining our criminal justice system and taking an approach that also addresses mental health issues, substance abuse and addiction as illnesses to be treated, not crimes to be punished. During President Preckwinkle’s administration, she has worked to expand the scope of the Justice Advisory Council (JAC) to coordinate and implement juvenile justice reform and public safety policy. In coordination with the JAC, President Preckwinkle has worked collaboratively with the County’s public safety stakeholders towards the goals of safely reducing the population of the Cook County Jail and Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center while preserving public safety, reducing recidivism, and promoting fair and equitable access to justice.
Before she was elected Cook County Board President, President Preckwinkle served 19 years as Alderman of Chicago’s 4th Ward. As Alderman, she oversaw the redevelopment of the Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas, Grand Boulevard, and Hyde Park neighborhoods. She established a reputation as a progressive on the City Council and a champion for affordable housing. She was a co-sponsor of the living wage ordinances that passed the City Council in 1998 and 2002. Prior to holding elected office, President Preckwinkle was a high school history teacher for ten years, before serving as an economic development coordinator for the City of Chicago and the executive director of the Chicago Jobs Council. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, President Preckwinkle came to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago, from where she holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She is the proud mother of two and grandmother of three.

Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr. is a passionate advocate for the rights of everyone represented by the Public Defender’s office and for reform to increase justice in the legal system and to keep communities safe. He was nominated by President Preckwinkle, confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Cook County Board, and sworn into office on April 1, 2021 for a six-year term as Public Defender. Public Defender Mitchell began his legal career in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, first working as a clerk in law school and later as an assistant public defender with assignments in the Civil, First Municipal, and Felony Trial Divisions. The Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender is one of the largest unified public defender offices in the nation with more than 650 employees, a budget of approximately $85 million, and 23 divisions and units. The Office provides legal services for people who cannot afford to hire an attorney to represent them in misdemeanor, felony, traffic, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, child protection, and similar cases and appeals.
Prior to becoming Public Defender, Mitchell joined the Illinois Justice Project (ILJP), a policy reform organization dedicated to supporting people, programs, and policies that can reduce inappropriate incarceration, improve community safety outcomes, reduce recidivism and increase justice in the legal system. Mitchell became Director of ILJP in 2019 and solidified its reputation as one of the state’s leading criminal justice reform non-profits. During his tenure as Director, ILJP helped lead the Coalition to End Money Bond’s successful effort to outlaw wealth-based pretrial incarceration in Illinois. His volunteer service includes membership on the boards of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, Chicago Debates, St. Leonard’s Ministries, and Live Free Chicago. Mitchell has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his law degree from DePaul University College of Law. A lifelong resident of Chicago, he grew up in the West Pullman neighborhood and is a Morgan Park High School graduate.

Click here to RSVP for Cultivating Seeds of Change.
To sponsor the event and support our work visit this link.

Civil Disagreements Virtual Program
2026-01-22 12:00 - 13:00
The Unitary Executive Theory: Legitimate Constitutional Theory or Path to Dictatorship? – January 22nd, 2026 at 1 PM EST

1 hour of CLE will be available to Illinois lawyers from the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Reform for Illinois.
Click here to register.
Article II of the U. S. Constitution provides in part that the executive power of the United States government “shall be vested” in “a President” of the United States.
On its face, this provision would seem to give the president ultimate control over the entire Executive branch, including the power to hire and fire its members for any reason or no reason at all.
Yet one of the hallmarks of the federal government in the past roughly one hundred years has been the growth with the Executive Branch of the administrative state, including administrative law judges, inspectors general, the civil service, and various commissions.
To what extent does the Constitution give the President absolute authority over such agencies and commissions, and to what extent do the Congress and the Supreme Court have power to reign the President in?
This program is part of Civil Disagreements, a debate and discussion series of timely, contentious topics sponsored by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education, American Constitution Society Chicago and Austin Chapters, Federalist Society Chicago Chapter, Reform for Illinois, Courts Matter Illinois, and the Chicago Council of Lawyers.

Civil Disagreements: Unitary Executive Theory
2026-02-17 13:00 - 14:00
The Unitary Executive Theory: Legitimate Constitutional Theory or Path to Dictatorship?
Click here to register.

Article II of the U. S. Constitution provides in part that the executive power of the United States government “shall be vested” in “a President” of the United States.
On its face, this provision would seem to give the president ultimate control over the entire Executive branch, including the power to hire and fire its members for any reason or no reason at all.
Yet one of the hallmarks of the federal government in the past roughly one hundred years has been the growth with the Executive Branch of the administrative state, including administrative law judges, inspectors general, the civil service, and various commissions.
To what extent does the Constitution give the President absolute authority over such agencies and commissions, and to what extent do the Congress and the Supreme Court have power to reign the President in?
This program is part of Civil Disagreements, a debate and discussion series of timely, contentious topics sponsored by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education, American Constitution Society Chicago and Austin Chapters, Federalist Society Chicago Chapter, Reform for Illinois, Courts Matter Illinois, and the Chicago Council of Lawyers.
1 hour of CLE will be available to Illinois lawyers from Reform for Illinois. Program materials are available by clicking here.

Attorneys As Public Citizens
2026-02-20 18:00 - 21:00 | University of Illinois Chicago, School of Law, 300 S State Street, Chicago, IL, 60604, United States
The Chicago Council of Lawyers is partnering up with the Hispanic Lawyers Association (HLAI) for a Public Citizen Training on February 20, 2026, at UIC Law from 6 – 9 PM.
This event will be an opportunity for attorneys to learn how they can join a network of rapid response attorneys.
The training will be grounded in the Rules of Professional Responsibility and is pending CLE credit. It will focus on the role of lawyers as public citizens and our unique responsibility for the quality of justice in our communities.
The presentation will provide information on how attorneys fulfill the role to administer justice, the role of a public citizen, de-escalation training for attorneys supporting events or rapid response efforts, street medic information, Know Your Rights information, conducting risk assessments, and methods of documentation. We will discuss tools that build community and build public relationships that promote the fair administration of justice. We will use the framework that guides non-violent advocacy and community building.
Food and refreshments will be provided. Individual tickets are free and must be reserved by clicking here.

National Lawyers Guild - Week of Abolition 2026: "Abolish ICE"
2026-03-02 - 2026-03-06
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) will host its annual Week of Abolition from March 2–6, 2026, themed “Abolish ICE.” This week of programming includes educational events, advocacy initiatives, and community engagement focused on immigration enforcement policy, detention practices, and broader abolitionist legal frameworks.
This event may be of interest to Chicago Council of Lawyers members who follow developments in immigration law, detention policy, and federal enforcement practices.
For more information and a schedule of events, visit:
https://www.nlg.org/woa/

Civil Liberties Committee Meeting
2026-03-13 12:00 - 13:15, 2026-04-10 12:00 - 13:15, 2026-05-08 12:00 - 13:15, 2026-06-12 12:00 - 13:15, 2026-07-10 12:00 - 13:15, 2026-08-14 12:00 - 13:15, 2026-09-11 12:00 - 13:15, 2026-10-09 12:00 - 13:15 and 2 more dates
The Civil Liberties Committee meets monthly on the second Friday of every month from 12 pm – 1:15 pm CT to address current civil liberties issues ranging from police accountability in Chicago to the Administration’s anti-immigration efforts, to trans rights, and everything in between. The committee researches, prepares, and issues statements advocating for reform.
Email ccl@chicagocouncil.org about your interest in joining this committee so you can be informed about meeting links, agendas, updates, and opportunities.
We welcome your active engagement!

ICE Oversight Panel
2026-04-01 16:00 - 17:30 | Latham & Watkins LLP, 330 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
Join us in person or online for a timely discussion on how various groups are working to hold ICE accountable for its actions in Chicago.
Click here to download the event flyer to share with your network.
To register, please scroll down and complete the form below.
Moderator:
Sharon R. Fairley: Ms. 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).
Panel Members:
Hon. Ruben Castillo (Ret.): Rubén Castillo is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In 1994, Castillo was the first person of Latino descent to be named a judge in the Northern District of Illinois, and in 2013 the first to become Chief Judge; he served in that role for 25 years. He is currently serving as Chair, Illinois Accountability Commission, with a goal of creating a public record of the conduct of federal agents during “Operation Midway Blitz” and the Trump Administration’s military-style operations throughout the Chicagoland area.
Lori Lightfoot: Ms. Lightfoot was the 56th Mayor of the City of Chicago and the City’s first black woman and first LGBTQ person to hold that role. Prior to becoming Mayor, Ms. Lightfoot was a US Attorney in the Criminal Division, Partner at Mayer Brown, Chief Administrator, Chicago Police Department Office of Professional Standards, Chicago Police Board and Task Force. In her post-mayoral career, Ms. Lightfoot is teaching and consulting on a variety of public interest matters. She recently organized and leads the Illinois Accountability Project, an effort to provide a clearinghouse for collecting evidence of abuses by ICE officers.
Mary Meg McCarthy: Ms. McCarthy is the Executive Director of the National Immigrant Justice Centers (NIJC), a premier immigrant and human rights advocacy organization which oversees ~1,500 pro bono attorney providing legal services to thousands of individuals annually. She is an expert on immigration law, policy, and practices who is an award winning attorney, has testified before Congress, and a frequent television guest. The NIJC leads a program providing pro bono legal assistance to immigrants in habeas cases.
Fred Tsao: Mr. Tsao is the Senior Policy Counsel of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). The organization is dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. Fred has been one of the leaders in ICIRR’s efforts to respond to the Midway Blitz options in the Chicago area.
Matthew J. Piers: Matthew Piers is an nationally known litigator and Senior Counsel of Hughes, Socol Piers Resnick & Dym. His focus includes complex litigation involving class actions, constitutional and civil rights, labor rights, employment, education and housing discrimination, law enforcement misconduct, immigrants' rights, RICO, to name a few. He is also a member of Whistleblower Advocates. Earlier in his career, Mr. Piers was Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
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Illinois Supreme Court Public Hearing
2026-04-09 10:00 - 12:00
The Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee is seeking public comments on three proposals that will be considered at a public hearing on April 9, 2026, in Chicago.
Written comments should be submitted no later than April 2 to RulesCommittee@illinoiscourts.gov or via mail to:
Committee Secretary
Supreme Court Rules Committee
222 N. LaSalle St., 13th Floor
Chicago, IL, 60601
Those interested in being scheduled to testify at the public hearing should send an email to the Rules Committee Secretary by April 2, 2026.
The hearing will be livestreamed.
Click here to see the official release from the Supreme Court of Illinois.

Under Siege: The American Judiciary and the Rule of Law
2026-05-05 09:00 - 16:30
On May 5th, the Cummins Family Justice Foundation, the Berkeley Judicial Institute, and the CBA are hosting a program entitled “Under Siege: The American Judiciary and the Rule of Law.”
This full-day program will include a luncheon discussion with retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and The Honorable Diane P. Wood, as well as sessions featuring judges and attorneys from across the United States. Together, they will explore the role of the judiciary, the importance of maintaining public confidence in legal institutions, and the challenges facing the rule of law today.
This program will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing participants to attend either in-person or via Zoom. More details, including registration information, are at https://learn.chicagobar.org/p/UnderSiege.
CCL members can get free CLE credit by participating virtually.
Not a member? Click here to join!

Lessons from Hungary: Dismantling the Autocratic Playbook
2026-05-19 15:00 - 16:00
Join LDAD on May 19, 2026, for a discussion with UCLA Law Professor Scott Cummings and LDAD Executive Director Lauren Stiller Rikleen on what lessons American lawyers can learn from Hungary’s experience of democratic resistance to autocracy.
Webinar Details:
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Time: 4:00 pm ET
Register here (there is no charge to attend): Webinar Registration
The recent defeat of Hungary’s far-right populist leader, upheld by the Trump administration as a model after sixteen years of autocratic rule, has significant repercussions for democracy around the world—especially in the United States.
In 2023, UCLA Law Professor Scott Cummings was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to study how lawyers assist—and resist—autocrats seeking to capture state systems and hold power, and spent significant time in Hungary researching how lawyers responded to that country’s rule-of-law crisis.
Join this fascinating conversation with Professor Cummings about what lessons American lawyers can learn from Hungary’s experience of democratic resistance.

When Cops Become Robbers Screening
2026-05-20 17:30 - 19:30 | University of Illinois Chicago, School of Law, 300 S State Street, Chicago, IL, 60604, United States
The End Policing for Profit working group is excited to host a screening of When Cops Become Robbers on Wednesday, May 20th from 5:30-7:30pm at UIC Law, at 300 S. State Street, Room S1210. A panel discussion will follow.
From former law-enforcement officers to constitutional lawyers, When Cops Become Robbers reveals how power, profit, and bad incentives turned public safety into a payday.

Click here to register.

Registration will close 24 hours before the event. Please bring an ID to get into the building.

This event is sponsored by the Civil Asset Forfeiture Committee, which is jointly shared by the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed.

The More Perfect Union Fund
2026-06-23 11:30 - 13:30 | University Club of Chicago, 76 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL, 60603, United States
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.
Architect of Justice
$5000
Includes one exclusive table with 8 tickets, premium recognition in event materials and online, and prime seating.
Beacon of Justice
$1500
Includes 6 tickets, premium recognition in event materials, and priority seating.​
Guardian of Justice
$500
Includes 2 tickets, recognition in event materials, and priority seating.
Defender of Justice
$250
Includes 1 ticket and recognition in event materials.
Advocate for Justice
$150
Includes 1 ticket.
Click Here To Reserve Your Seat In Support Of Justice
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.
Click Here To Make A DonationIf 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.
Help Us Spread The Word
Know someone who should attend? Help us broaden the reach of this work by sharing this event with your network. We welcome you to invite colleagues, peers, and others who are committed to advancing justice and accountability.
Your support, both in attending and spreading the word, makes a meaningful difference.
Click here to download the flyer.
