Annual Fall Fundraiser | Cultivating Seeds of Change
2025-11-10 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | 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.
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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.
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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!

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.
