• Painting of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

    Lessons in Professionalism from RBG

    Last Friday, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87. Ginsburg, affectionately known as RBG, was a trailblazing jurist who spent her career fighting for equal justice for women and other marginalized communities. She occupied the roles of U.S. Supreme Court justice, gender equality pioneer, and pop culture icon with decorum and humility, striv...
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  • photos of employees in a global network

    Cultivating Corporate Culture During COVID-19

    When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March, I thought we would be working from home for a couple of weeks to help flatten the curve. As Executive Director of the Commission on Professionalism, I didn’t make any long-term plans for my staff to work remotely for months on end. Nor did I consider how I would maintain our corporate culture while m...
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  • Virtual mentoring meeting

    Prioritize Professional Development with Virtual Mentoring  

    Roughly six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, a partner at a BigLaw firm in Chicago shared an exciting revelation with me. “While I’ve become more physically distanced from my coworkers, I’ve actually become more personally connected to them,” he said. “We’ve stepped into each other’s homes and lives much more while working remotely....
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  • Eviction crisis in Illinois

    Five Ways to Address the Eviction Crisis in Illinois

    Evictions were prevalent before COVID-19, but the situation has reached a crisis level. The national unemployment rate hit an all-time high of 14.7% in April 2020 and was still at 8.4% in August. The high unemployment rate has resulted in fewer people being able to pay their rent or mortgages. In the first three months of 2020, landlords collected ...
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Programs

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Law Schools

News

Pro Bono Week 2020

Ways to Give Back During Pro Bono Week 2020

Legal organizations around Illinois will shift their focus to pro bono later this month during the annual Pro Bono Week celebration. From October 25-31, legal and civic organizations will hold virtual events that highlight the need for pro bono service and acknowledge those who give their time. The demand for pro bono attorneys is great. The COV...
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#CivilityChat with HLAI President Janneth Lanini

Each year, National Hispanic Heritage Month honors the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans and celebrates their influence on the history, culture, and achievements of the U.S. We spoke with Janneth Lanini, president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI), about her work with the HLAI, the challenges Hispan...
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Press

the Commissioners on a stage

Commission on Professionalism Marks 15th Anniversary

This week, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism marked its 15th anniversary. The Illinois Supreme Court adopted Rule 799 on September 29, 2005, which established a permanent Commission on Professionalism and professional responsibility CLE requirements for Illinois attorneys. Also on this date, the Court established the MCLE B...
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Commissioner Spotlight

Cynthia Fountaine

Commissioner Spotlight: Cynthia Fountaine

Cynthia Fountaine is a professor of law at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, where she focuses on issues relating to the powers of government and access to justice, with particular emphasis on the federal courts' role in enforcing individual rights. She was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism in...
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Lawyer Spotlight

Juan Morado Jr.

Lawyer Spotlight: Juan Morado Jr., Benesch

Our Lawyer Spotlight series highlights Illinois lawyers who are demonstrating the ideals of professionalism in their daily lives. These attorneys are teaching us how to adapt and thrive in the changing legal environment. Juan Morado Jr. is a partner at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, where he practices healthcare law. He is a mem...
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Reimagining Law

image of Melanie Leonard and Bryan Sims interview

Reimagining Law: Simple Ways Lawyers Can Work Smarter

In this episode of Reimagining Law, we talk to Melanie Leonard, Esq., founder of streamlined.legal, and Bryan Sims, an attorney at Sims Law Firm, Ltd. Melanie and Bryan discuss how COVID-19 has changed the way attorneys work, simple ways lawyers can increase internal efficiencies, and technology tools for even the most technology-averse attorn...
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The Future Is Now

The Future Is Now 2.019

The Future Is Now 2.019

The Future Is Now 2.018

The Future Is Now 2.017

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