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Collaboration for Justice, Events

Every year, our Collaboration for Justice of the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts hosts a Pro Bono Spotlight event. This year, we featured two two virtual events to celebrate and recognize the incredible work our volunteers, staff, and community partners. If you weren’t able to join us, you can view the panelists’ discussion from May 12 and keynote presentation from May 19 below or at www.CollaborationForJustice.org. 

MAY 12: FORUM ON A NEW ERA OF LEGAL SYSTEM REFORM

The first virtual event was a panel of Chicago-based professionals discussing the new era of criminal legal system reform. Moderated by Sarah Staudt of Collaboration for Justice, the panel included April Preyar (Partner, Shiller Preyar Jarard & Samuels Law), Cathryn Crawford (Director of Holistic Legal Services, Lawndale Christian Legal Center), Tanya Woods (Executive Director, Westside Justice Center), and Sharone Mitchell, Jr. (Public Defender for Cook County).  

The discussion focused on how reforms to the criminal justice system are implemented and experience in practice and by community members. Their conversation centered on the changes made to improve the court system since George Floyd’s murder, but how unwillingness from court system actors can derail those efforts, and what else can be done to improve these unjust systems. The panelists spoke at length discussing how these movements have dramatically changed communities and have given individuals a since of power in themselves, but that the courts have not followed. Each speaker confronted the complexities of our current criminal justice system—but came to a consensus that a real cultural change must happen within the system. 

MAY 19: KEYNOTE PRESENTATION BY DR. TRACI BURCH

The second event featured Dr. Traci Burch,  Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation and Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, who delivered a keynote address discussing her research on the role of citizen activism in response to police-involved killings. Dr. Burch opened the conversation by stating her research question, “Who gets protested and what factors shape the protest of police-involved killings?” 

She went on to explain the different aspects of her research and how she collected the data. Dr. Burch concluded that for an individual to be protested, they must be considered a “low-threat,” meaning that they did not do anything to be perceived as instigating the conflict, typically young, their death was video taped, and the political opportunity structure is right for mobilization. 

While these panels only scratched the surface of what the Collaboration for Justice accomplishes, we hope you, too, will make a contribution to support our work. Click here to donate and click here to become a member of the Chicago Council of Lawyers.

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2021 PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT SPONSORS:

CHANGE-MAKER ($10,000)

Baker McKenzie 

INNOVATORS ($5,000)

DLA Piper — Neon One —  Latham & Watkins — Sidley — Harrison & Held — PWC

PRO BONO PARTNERS ($2,500)

Goldberg Kohn — Kirkland & Ellis — Foley & Lardner — Anonymous — Miner Barnhill & Galland — Raymond Linn

ALLIES ($1,000)

Ronald L. Futterman —  Sonya Naar

FRIENDS ($500)

Malcolm Rich — Aviva Futorian — Roger Lewis — Matt Daniels