- Summit will feature leading researchers and lawyers discussing why lawyers bully, the personal and professional impacts, and strategies for responding
- Commission will launch 6-day bullying prevention challenge for lawyers and bar associations
- Summit sponsored by ISBA and CBA and co-sponsored by bar associations across Illinois
- 5 hours of diversity and inclusion CLE credit is available
The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is pleased to announce that it will convene a virtual bullying prevention summit for lawyers and bar associations on June 10, 2025, from 12 – 1:30 p.m. CDT.
The summit, which is titled Standing Up to Intimidation: Confronting Bullying in the Legal Profession, will feature leading researchers and legal professionals discussing why lawyers engage in workplace bullying, the physical, emotional, and professional impacts of bullying, and why bystanders often refrain from intervening or offering support.
During the event, the Commission will launch a 6-day challenge with actions lawyers and bar associations can take to combat bullying.
Attendees will receive 1.5 hours of diversity and inclusion CLE credit in Illinois. Registration is free. Please register here.
Combatting bullying in the legal profession
In October 2024, the Commission published a report based on the results of a study on bullying among Illinois lawyers, in which one in four respondents reported being bullied in the past year and nearly 20% said they had left a job practicing law due to bullying. More than 6,000 Illinois lawyers participated in the study.
“The Illinois legal profession’s response to the Commission’s report has been astounding, with lawyers, judges, bar associations, and others from across the state writing us to share their stories and ask for advice on translating the report’s recommendations into action,” said Erika Harold, Executive Director of the Commission on Professionalism. “This summit will bring legal professionals and bar associations across Illinois together to provide specific actions we can take to address and prevent bullying.”
Speakers will include Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford, Supreme Court Liaison to the Commission; Commission Executive Director Erika Harold; Commission Chair John Kim, Associate General Counsel at Edward Jones; Roberta (“Bobbi”) Liebenberg, study author and Principal at The Red Bee Group; Kenneth A. Matuszewski, Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s (CBA) Young Lawyers’ Section and attorney at Rozier Hardt McDonough; Trisha Rich, Commissioner at the Commission on Professionalism, CBA Secretary, and Partner in the Chicago office of Holland & Knight LLP; Stephanie A. Scharf, study author and Principal at The Red Bee Group; and Judge Sonni Choi Williams, Twelfth Judicial Circuit, Third Subcircuit, and Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) President.
In addition, academic and bullying researcher Dorothy Suskind, Ph.D., who serves on the Executive Board of the National Workplace Bullying Coalition, will speak about why people bully and how it impacts those who are targeted. Dr. Suskind is also the author of “Workplace Bullying: Finding Your Way to Big Tent Belonging,” which documents the stories of over 200 survivors of workplace abuse across 35 states, 10 countries, and 36 industries.
The program will also feature personal stories from Illinois lawyers who have been impacted by workplace bullying and provide detailed recommendations for those who witness or are targeted by bullying.
A complete list of speakers can be found on the Commission’s website.
Bringing Illinois bar associations together to combat bullying
The summit is sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, which have been integral in the planning of the event.
“The ISBA is proud to sponsor this important event that challenges bullying behavior, which is often seen as a rite of passage in the legal profession, to the detriment of the health, productivity, and retention of lawyers,” said Judge Choi Williams.
“Bullying behavior is causing too many promising lawyers to walk away from the profession,” said John C. Sciaccotta, President of the Chicago Bar Association. “The CBA is grateful to sponsor this event as the legal profession must come together to advocate for civil workplaces where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”
Bar associations across Illinois are also joining as co-sponsors, including (at the time of publication) the Appellate Lawyers Association, Arab American Bar Association of Illinois, Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago, Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA), Chicago Council of Lawyers, Champaign County Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association, DuPage County Bar Association, East Central Illinois Women Attorneys Association (ECIWAA), Fayette County Bar Association, Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter, Force of Lawyers Against Sexual Harassment (FLASH), HLAI – Serving the Hispanic Lawyers of Illinois, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Lake County Bar Association, Loyola Academy Bar Association, North Suburban Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association of Chicago, Southwest Bar Association, Will County Bar Association, Winnebago County Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI), ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Responsibilities.
Additional co-sponsors will be added. A current list of co-sponsors can be found on the Commission’s website. If you are a bar association leader interested in becoming a co-sponsor, please submit this co-sponsorship form.
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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