Chicago Bar Foundation

The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) mobilizes Chicago’s legal community to use their time, money and influence so that low-income and disadvantaged Chicagoans can access the legal help they need. Through grants, advocacy, pro bono and partnerships, the CBF takes a system-wide approach to improving access to justice and focuses on objectives we can best achieve by the legal community working together.  More specifically, the CBF works to:

• Strengthen our community’s pro bono and legal aid organizations
• Enable dedicated lawyers to pursue careers in legal aid
• Maximize opportunities for pro bono lawyers to effectively supplement the work of their legal aid counterparts
• Make the courts and legal system more user-friendly and accessible for those in need 

As the charitable arm of The Chicago Bar Association, the CBF’s work is made possible by the generous contributions of thousands of dedicated individuals, more than 200 law firms and corporations, and many other committed partners. Thanks to that strong support, the CBF awarded nearly $2.5 million in grants in 2010 and continues to play a lead role in a number of innovative access to justice initiatives.

Partners C. Barry Montgomery and David E. Stevenson serve as Vice Chairs of the CBF’s annual Investing in Justice Campaign. Associate Anthony J. O’Neill is a member of CBF’s Advocacy Committee.