Get Involved

It is more important than ever to join the Chicago Council of Lawyers. Our democracy is under threat, and your membership helps provide the resources to protect it. Here is what you receive when you become a member of the Council:

  • An opportunity to participate in the protection of our justice system and the Rule of Law.
  • Access to research, reports, and people fighting to maintain our legal system.
  • Free Ethics Training to meet your CLE requirements.

Make a Donation:

The Council is a 501(c)(6) organization. Make a non-charitable contribution to the Council to support its state judicial evaluations and its other efforts aimed at advancing justice.

Help grow the impact of this work:

  • Share this page link or this graphic with colleagues, friends, and community members who may be interested in getting involved.

Join a Committee:

Increased awareness and participation strengthen our collective voice and advance accountability and justice.

Learn more about our committees below, and email ccl@chicagocouncil.org about your interest in joining a committee or supporting a program so you can stay informed about meetings, agendas, and opportunities. We welcome your active engagement!

The Civil Liberties Committee meets monthly 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.

The Criminal Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) uses research, advocacy, legislative proposals, technical assistance, and project management to improve all areas of our criminal justice system, with a focus on decarceration and racial equity. CJAC’s work varies widely and includes everything from the enforcement of core constitutional rights to evaluation and design of individual Cook County programs. We work in partnership with stakeholders, practitioners, community groups to develop effective, systemic solutions, manageable implementation plans, and the community-based support necessary to bring about meaningful permanent change.

The Civil Courts and Access to Justice Committee works to identify ineffective, inefficient, and unfair court management policies and procedures, recommends improvements, and advocates for their implementation. The Committee is committed to strengthening fairness, integrity, efficiency, and professionalism in the courts. Its mission is to provide practical information on how to build and maintain an effective and independent justice system that enjoys the confidence of the public and lives up to the expectations of transparency and accountability.

CCL’s judicial evaluation program makes every effort to evaluate all judicial candidates in Cook County in the following categories:

  1. Fairness, including sensitivity to diversity and bias
  2. Legal knowledge and skills (competence)
  3. Integrity
  4. Experience
  5. Diligence
  6. Impartiality
  7. Judicial temperament
  8. Respect for the rule of law
  9. Independence from political and institutional influences
  10. Professional conduct
  11. Character
  12. Community service

Evaluations are placed on VoteForJudges.org for easy access by voters. Judicial evaluations are published in 7 languages.

Current Volunteer Opportunities:

  • The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is currently seeking volunteer investigators for the 2026 judicial retention cycle. Click here to learn more.

The Chicago Council of Lawyers, Chicago’s public interest bar association, brings lawyers together not to advance professional self-interest, but to strengthen the justice system by insisting that it honor the principles that animate constitutional governance: fairness, human dignity, personal autonomy, compassion, and fidelity to truth. At a time when policies of the Trump Administration repeatedly transgress those principles, the Council’s independent voice is more important than ever.

Robert Lehrer

Robert Lehrer

I have been a member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers for almost as long as I have been a lawyer. I’m privileged to know some of the people who were present for the Council’s founding in 1969, and to be part of what they started and have sustained for more than 50 years. Participating in the Council’s work has consistently given me the feeling of being on the correct side of history. Our work has improved the quality and performance of the courts, and the public corruption we oppose no longer feels like “just a fact of life” in Chicago. Other bar associations exist for the benefit of their own members. This one exists for the public good.

Bob Slobig

Blob Slobig

I have been a member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers since my first year of practicing law, nearly 40 years ago.  What drew me to the Council then – and why I am still an active member now –is the Council’s unwavering commitment to the public interest.  From serving as an independent advocate for fairness, integrity, and competence in the state and federal court systems, to speaking out against public corruption and systems that prioritize private and  political influence over the public good, to working to advance systemic reforms designed to ensure that substantive laws and procedural requirements are applied with equal fairness to everyone who finds themselves caught up in the justice system, to promoting transparency and accountability in government – the Council has never lost sight of its original goals and values, regardless of the political climate or the popularity of the reforms for which the Council may be advocating.  I am proud to be a member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers.  I hope you will join us in the fight.

Carrie Huff

Carrie Huff, Your Content Goes Here

Upcoming Events:

National Lawyers Guild – Week of Abolition 2026: “Abolish ICE”

March 2 - March 6

Civil Liberties Committee Meeting

March 13 @ 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm

Illinois Supreme Court Public Hearing

April 9 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Civil Liberties Committee Meeting

April 10 @ 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm