Pro Bono & Public Service

In 2019, Lynn Grayson was appointed as the Co-Chair of the CBA/CBF Task Force on the Sustainable Practice of Law & Innovation. Launched in October 2019, its purpose is to help shape a better future for the legal profession, the public and the justice system. The Task Force brings together a broad group of distinguished local and national stakeholders to address regulatory reform and legal innovation in Illinois. A final report and recommendations has been issued and will be submitted to the Illinois Supreme Court in the fall of 2020.

From 2009 to the present, Susan Franzetti has served on the Board of Directors of the Lake Forest Open Lands Association and has provided pro bono legal services to the Association including conservation easements issues and the $3.5 million restoration project of McCormick Ravine.

In 2014-2015, Jennifer Nijman and Kristen Gale represented a former Cook County prisoner in his Federal lawsuit for mistreatment by two Cook County prison guards. Following extensive preparation for trial, we resolved the matter via a settlement for our client.

Jennifer Nijman was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as a Commissioner for the Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, charged with promoting, facilitating and enhancing equal access to justice with an emphasis on access to the Illinois civil courts and administrative agencies for all people, particularly the poor and vulnerable. She has served since 2012 and currently co-chairs the Remote Access Committee of the Commission.

Jennifer Nijman formerly served as president of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois which issues grants to support non-profit organizations that provide a legal safety net for low-income people. In 2005, she was presented with the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois award for exemplary leadership in the Cause of Equal Access to Justice for her work in preparing the Illinois Legal Needs Study.

Jennifer Nijman served as a member of the Board for the Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP) of the Chicago Bar Foundation and chaired the strategic planning committee. The JEP is an incubator for newer lawyers to start innovative, socially conscious law practices in the Chicago area that provide affordable services to low and moderate-income people, a vastly underserved client base.

In 2015, Kristen Gale was appointed to the Governance Committee for Bridge Communities, Inc. Bridge is a non-profit that assists homeless families to transition to self-sufficiency by working with partners to provide mentoring, housing, and supportive services. As part of the Governance Committee, Ms. Gale assists in assuring that the policies and procedures comply with all applicable laws and are adjusted as the organization continues to grow.

In 2013, Kristen Gale volunteered through the Northern District of Illinois Settlement Assistance Program to represent an individual claiming retaliation and failure to follow the Family Medical Leave Act against her employer. As part of that program, Ms. Gale prepared a settlement letter for submittal to the court, and represented her client in the settlement conference.

From 2011 to 2014, Jennifer Nijman was appointed to Senator Kirk’s bipartisan Federal Judicial Review Commission for the purpose of reviewing candidates for vacancies on the federal bench for the Northern District of Illinois.

In 2013, Vince Angermeier worked on a pro bono team defending an Ethiopian political refugee in administrative proceedings within the Department of Homeland Security. That year, he also worked with the Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University School of Law in a wrongful conviction that was appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court. He also participates in the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Statutory Suspension program, assisting indigent defendants in Cook County civil court.

Jennifer Nijman served on the Board of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) from 2008 to 2015, and served as a volunteer mediator, Board Member and Board President for the Center for Conflict Resolution from 2002-2012.

Jennifer Nijman received the 2005 ISBA Board of Governors Award for exemplary service to advance the administration of justice.

In 2001, the Chicago Bar Association presented Jennifer Nijman with the Alta May Hulett Award for highest standards of professional ethics and excellence and utilizing vision and leadership to advance women.  Awards