Each year in March, thousands of lawyers and legal professionals from throughout Chicago’s legal community come together around a cause uniquely important to us as a profession: building the capacity of our overburdened pro bono and legal aid system to help ensure that everyone in need in our community has access to justice.
As we embark on the 2010 Campaign, the need for pro bono and legal aid services in our community is greater than ever. It’s a critical challenge that we as lawyers have a particular responsibility to meet, and if we don’t step up now, that challenge won’t be met. That is what the Campaign is all about--each one of us doing our part to help.
See the 2010 Campaign Leadership Team and the Campaign brochure.
While the economy has had a significant impact on our profession over the past year, there has never been a time when more people in our community are depending on our leadership to help balance the scales of justice. Current economic pressures continue to drive up the demand for legal aid, while almost every other major source of funding is declining our under severe stress. As a result, people in desperate need of legal assistance--children and families, seniors, veterans, and other vulnerable individuals--are being turned away and left to solve legal problems on their own because there is simply not enough capacity to serve them.
We can do something about this. Over the past three years, we’ve proven through the Campaign that we can have a real impact when we come together as a legal community, raising nearly $3 million and making it possible for thousands of less fortunate people to get the legal assistance they need. I know that together we can make an even greater difference this year for Chicago’s pro bono and legal aid organizations and the growing number of people who depend on them.
That is why I am personally asking for your help and why your support of this year’s Campaign is so important.
Sincerely,
Charles W. Douglas
2010 Investing in Justice Campaign Chair
Chairman, Management Committee
Sidley Austin LLP
For more information about the Campaign and how you can participate, please contact David Gee at
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or 312-554-1209.
