The Chicago Council of Lawyers was created in 1969 to give a voice to lawyers demanding fairness and effectiveness in our justice system.
When the Council was founded, there was a basic lack of trust in our government and corporate sectors all throughout the country. Fundamentally unfair policies and practices were prevailing. It was a time when great organizations were being formed to combat it all. But lawyers, specifically, needed a place where they could collectively speak out about those injustices and advocated for the systemic reforms necessary to do something about them. In Chicago, the Council was that organization.
In 1997, the Council began its collaboration with Chicago Appleseed – the Collaboration for Justice. Chicago Appleseed was created to work with the Council on their systemic reform agenda. For the past 20 years, the two organizations – one a 501c3 research and advocacy organization and the other a public interest bar association – have worked side-by-side to bring fairness and effectiveness to the courts and to issues relating to our system of justice.
Bringing together the best of two organizations proved successful. The number of staff persons grew and the amount of pro bono assistance expanded dramatically. The groups have learned to create and participate in coalitions of both lawyer and community organizations that successfully led to meaningful change. The list of accomplishments grew. Like with any collaboration, there have been bumps in the road, but today we have an effective model of accomplishing systemic reform. The Collaboration for Just has six program committees overseeing nearly 20 reform-oriented projects.
The Collaboration for Justice of the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed has become an increasingly effective force in the fight to ensure that the rule of law and the notion of justice will prevail. Click here to learn about the history and impact of our Collaboration.