Dedicated Lawyers Get a Boost to Help People in Need

THE CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION

October 31, 2012

Contact: Ryanne Easley

reasley@chicagobar.org

 

 $50,000 Fellowships for Five Legal Aid Attorneys Offset Law School Debt,  Allow Committed Lawyers to Continue Serving Those Most in Need

Chicago, IL – On October 29, 2012, five lawyers dedicated to helping people in need received key financial assistance to help them continue to pursue this critical work. The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) presented the 2012 CBF Sun-Times Public Interest Law Fellowships to:

• Catherine Alin, LAF

•Sarah Baum, LAF

•Adela Carlin, LAF

•Jill Roberts, Cabrini Green Legal Aid

•Amy Sample, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc.

The Fellows each will receive $50,000 in loan repayment assistance over five years to help them continue their careers in legal aid.

Upon receiving her fellowship, Adela Carlin, Director of LAF’s Community Engagement Unit, said “I cried when I got the call because up until that moment, I did not know how I would ever finish paying my law school loans. This award has changed our family and allowed me to think about the future in ways I couldn’t imagine possible.”

First awarded in 2007, the CBF awards five annual fellowships of up to $50,000 per fellowship to individual legal aid or public interest law attorneys who demonstrate a commitment to public interest work, academic achievement in law school, and outstanding character and integrity. The CBF Sun-Times Fellowship addresses a crisis facing lawyers in our community who are increasingly finding that a career in legal aid and public interest law is simply untenable from an economic standpoint.

Lawyers graduating today typically have an average of more than $100,000 in law school debt (and it is increasingly common for law graduates to have $150,000 or more in debt), while starting salaries at pro bono and legal aid organizations in the Chicago area average only $49,000. Through a generous $2 million cy pres award from a case involving the Chicago Sun-Times, the CBF was able to create these fellowships to provide significant loan repayment assistance to those who most need it.

“One of our key priorities at the CBF is to help make it possible for dedicated attorneys to pursue and maintain careers in legal aid,” said Bob Glaves, executive director of The Chicago Bar Foundation. “These attorneys have made enormous personal financial sacrifices to ensure that the most vulnerable people in our community have access to the protections of our justice system. Many of them face mortgage-sized law school debt. The CBF Sun-Times Fellowship aims to help alleviate some of these financial concerns and make it more manageable for these exceptional attorneys to continue their careers in legal aid.”

Each of the five fellowship recipients provides vital services to low-income and disadvantaged members of our community. Catherine Alin advocates for clients who are seeking to end their marriages, a number of whom are victims of domestic violence; Sarah Baum advocates for low-income employees who are seeking to retain or regain employment or compensation that has been wrongfully terminated or withheld; Adela Carlin impacts the lives of thousands through community engagement and outreach efforts in the Chicago area; Jill Roberts represents clients facing eviction as well as those who need assistance with family law matters; and Amy Sample provides critical development services to help her organization effectively advocate for its clients.

LAND OF LINCOLN JOSEPH R. BARTYLAK PRO BONO AWARD PRESENTED TO JOHN H. ELDER

LAND OF LINCOLN JOSEPH R. BARTYLAK PRO BONO AWARD PRESENTED TO JOHN H. ELDER

Attorney John H. Elder was presented with the Land of Lincoln Joseph R. Bartylak Pro Bono Award on October 23, 2012.  The award was presented by Ramona Sullivan, Senior Attorney in the Eastern Regional Office in Champaign, at the inaugural meeting of the Sixth Circuit Pro Bono Coordinating Council.  Mr. Elder is a long-time supporter of Land of Lincoln.  When an unusual estate administration case involving a foreign will came to Land of Lincoln, Mr. Elder accepted the referral.  At first it seemed a simple matter, but probating the will was just one of a series of issues that arose and Mr. Elder agreed to work on all of the issues.  In the end, Mr. Elder spent over 200 pro bono hours on this case.  His representation not only resolved title issues for the home, but also ensured that a close family member was named the guardian of the minor children after their mother died and their father left the country.

“John has been an avid supporter of Land of Lincoln for many years, helping out in a variety of ways,” stated Susan Zielke, Managing Attorney of the Eastern Regional Office. “Even from the outset of this particular case, John was willing to step up to assist the client with a foreign will. And in the true spirit of pro bono advocacy, he continued to help her navigate the twists and turns of the situation. Without dedicated attorneys like John Elder, the vital work that Land of Lincoln is able to do on behalf of low income families and individuals would be seriously limited.”

The Land of Lincoln Joseph R. Bartylak Pro Bono Awards were created in 2011 in memory of Joseph R. Bartylak, who was Land of Lincoln’s Executive Director from 1976 to 2003.  The Board of Directors of Land of Lincoln created these awards to honor a volunteer attorney or judge from each of its five regions who has directly achieved outstanding results for our clients or who has supported Land of Lincoln staff in their delivery of high quality legal services.