Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Celebrates Pro Bono Efforts at Annual Meeting - 2011-09-20

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law enjoyed its Annual Meeting on September 15, in Chicago. Langdon & Emison is a member law firm of the organization, while Bob Langdon serves on the group's education advisory board.

At the meeting, Katten Muchin Rosenman received the 2011 Pro Bono law firm of the year award. Additinoally, Skadden Arps' Nada Abu-Isa received distinction as "Young Lawyer of the Year," while Peter Edelman of the Georgetown University Law Center received the lifetime achievement award in civil rights.

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. was established in 1969 as a public interest consortium of Chicago firms to provide pro bono legal services in significant civil rights cases. From nineteen firms in 1969, it has grown to 49 firms today. Over 15,000 hours annually of professional legal services, with an estimated value of approximately $6 million, is donated from the membership's pool of over 1,000 volunteer lawyers.

The National Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law was formed in 1963 at the request of President Kennedy, with the initial purpose of providing legal representation to Black people and civil rights workers in the South for whom lawyers were otherwise unavailable.