The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is pleased to announce that the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates voted today to adopt a resolution encouraging legal organizations to study and address bullying in the legal profession.
Resolution 523, which was adopted at the ABA’s 2025 Annual Meeting, is based on the Commission’s landmark report “Bullying in the Legal Profession: A Study of Illinois Lawyers’ Experiences and Recommendations for Change.”
The resolution reads:
RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association encourages legal workplaces, bar associations, and tribunals to develop studies that examine the prevalence and impact of bullying within the legal profession similar to the October 2024 report published by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism entitled, “Bullying in the Legal Profession: A Study of Illinois Lawyers’ Experiences and Recommendations for Change.”
The resolution also urges these organizations to “establish policies, trainings, initiatives, and actions that address and prevent bullying in the legal profession and promote a culture of respect and civility in the legal profession,” reflecting recommendations made in the Commission report.
“We are honored that our anti-bullying initiative in Illinois has inspired this national resolution, and hope it motivates other states to begin bullying prevention efforts in their respective jurisdictions,” said Erika Harold, Executive Director of the Commission on Professionalism. “We would like to recognize the Illinois Supreme Court for its leadership and foresight in support of this initiative in Illinois, which demonstrates its commitment to transparency and dignity.”
The ABA Young Lawyers Division; ABA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center; ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism; and the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice co-sponsored the resolution.
It was also supported by the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Regulation; ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP); ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS); ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division; ABA Racial and Ethnic Diversity Caucus; ABA LGBTQ+ Caucus; ABA Business Law Section; and the National Organization of Bar Counsel (NOBC).
“As someone who has been subjected to bullying and has been honored to lead the Commission’s anti-bullying initiative, it was deeply gratifying—both personally and professionally—to be on the floor of the ABA’s House of Delegates meeting to witness the adoption of this important resolution, the broad coalition of support, and national momentum for change,” said Harold.
About the Commission’s Report
The Commission’s “Bullying in the Legal Profession” report includes data from a study on the prevalence and impact of bullying in the Illinois legal profession and recommended best practices for preventing it. The study is believed to be one of the first wide-scale research projects conducted in the U.S. on this topic.
More than 6,000 Illinois lawyers participated in the study, which was conducted by The Red Bee Group on behalf of the Commission.
The study found that one in four lawyers had experienced workplace bullying during a one-year period. While lawyers from all backgrounds experienced bullying, younger lawyers, female lawyers, lawyers with a disability, lawyers of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyers were more frequently targeted, the study found.
Lawyers reported negative professional, emotional, and physical effects from being bullied. Almost 20% of lawyers said bullying had caused them to leave a job practicing law.
Only 1 in 5 bullied lawyers reported the behavior to leadership, often due to concerns about being perceived as weak, the bully’s status, or the belief that the employer would not take action.
“The Commission thanks the ABA for highlighting the Commission’s bullying prevention initiative and for tackling this important issue,” said John Kim, Chair of the Commission on Professionalism. “We hope the resolution leads to the normalization of legal workplaces where everyone is treated with dignity, civility, and respect.”
Stand Up to Bullying Challenge
In June 2025, the Commission launched a six-day Stand Up to Bullying Challenge, which outlines daily actions lawyers and bar association leaders can take to address and prevent bullying in their workplaces and organizations.
While the challenge can be conducted at any time, the Commission is encouraging lawyers and bar association leaders to commit to taking the challenge in October 2025, during National Bullying Prevention Month.
Read the full resolution and report here.
About the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
The Illinois Supreme Court established the Commission on Professionalism under Supreme Court Rule 799 to promote integrity, professionalism, and civility among the lawyers and judges of Illinois, to foster a commitment to the elimination of bias and divisiveness within the legal and judicial systems, and to ensure those systems provide equitable, effective, and efficient resolution of problems for the people of Illinois.
The Commission achieves this mission through professional responsibility CLE, lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring, legal professionalism programming, educational resources, robust communications platforms, and more. To learn more, visit 2Civility.org and follow us on LinkedIn.
Press Contact
Laura Bagby, Communications Director
312-363-6209
laura.bagby@2civility.org
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