The Legal Aid Society Board of Directors presents …

the Equal Access to Justice Award Luncheon

Thank you to all who contributed to the success of the Legal Aid Society’s Equal Access to Justice Award Luncheon! The Luncheon supports the critical legal services LAS provides, and celebrates the pro bono contributions that make those services possible. Together, we raised more than $425,000 to benefit LAS’s programs and the 13,000+ clients we serve.

During our presentation and networking reception, we highlighted LAS’s Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) Justice Corps program; honored AbbVie and Laura Schumacher, Vice Chairman, External Affairs and Chief Legal Officer at AbbVie with our William H. Avery Award for Equal Access to Justice; and recognized Discover with our Scott C. Solberg Pro Bono Award for a corporate partner.

Thank you to Laura Schumacher and AbbVie for your commitment to pro bono, and to Discover’s team, particularly LAS Board Member Chantal Kazay and Renae Hernandez, for your partnership with LAS’ programs.

Attendees heard from Felicia, a CP4P Justice Corps client who worked with LAS to gain custody of her grandson, and with Metropolitan Family Services to ensure he received the counseling he needed.

“They were leading me through all the doors that I needed to get through and opening up doors for me,” shared Felicia in her video feature. “I just don’t know what I would have did without their services.” Watch Felicia’s story here.

Hear from LAS staff about the impact that inspires them to work toward equal access to justice for all, regardless of ability to pay for quality legal representation:

“It’s huge to us because we know the faces behind those victories,” shares Catherine Longkumer, Managing Attorney of our Individual Rights and Social Justice Practice Group. “To have those moments where we can call up a client and say, your t-visa has been approved, your judgment status has been approved, we’re able to reunite you with your family, you’re going to get to see your kids again? That is what keeps us going and doing this work.”

To support this work and LAS’s transformational impact, make a contribution or get involved today.

THANK YOU TO OUR HOST COMMITTEE

ABOUT THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY
LAS provides quality legal representation to victims of human trafficking and other crimes, including domestic violence, abused and exploited seniors or disabled adults, homeowners in foreclosure, tenants faced with unlawful eviction and victims of financial exploitation and consumer fraud. Today LAS impacts more than 20,000 people each year.
Visit www.laschicago.org to learn more