Cy pres awards are residual funds in class action cases (and occasionally in other types of proceedings like bankruptcy and probate matters) that, for any number of reasons, are unclaimed or cannot be distributed to the class members or beneficiaries who were the intended recipients. Under the cy pres doctrine and Illinois law, courts can distribute these residual funds to appropriate charitable causes, and the CBF and the legal aid organizations and related initiatives the CBF supports are appropriate beneficiaries.

The CBF is an ideal place to direct cy pres awards, which help the CBF to expand the capacity of our pro bono and legal aid system and provide the “venture capital” for a number of groundbreaking access to justice initiatives. The links on the left of this page have more information about the impact that cy pres awards to the CBF already have had over the past several years along with a variety of helpful resources on how you can help direct a cy pres award or other award of residual funds to the CBF or one of the many outstanding pro bono and legal aid organizations supported by the CBF.

For more information about cy pres awards and other awards of residual funds and how you can make an impact by directing such an award to the CBF, contact Bob Glaves at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at 312-554-1205.