Chicago Council of Lawyers Archives - Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts

“Waiving the Waiver”: Low-income Defendants Forced to Choose Between Plea Deals and Court Debt

Written by Grace Coolidge, Northwestern University, Class of 2025. In 2018, Governor Rauner signed the Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act (CTAA) into Illinois law, aiming to simplify and standardize court fees and assessments across the state. The CTAA was also intended to protect low-income...

Celebrating 55 Years: Looking Back at the History of the Collaboration for Justice

On June 12th, 2025, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Chicago Council of Lawyers will be hosting our annual summer social—this year celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Fund for Justice. As we gear up for that anniversary party, we're looking back and the almost six decades of coll...

JOIN US! Cheers to 25 Years – Collaboration for Justice Annual Luncheon on October 25

Cheers to 25 years! On Tuesday, October 25, join the Collaboration for Justice of Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts & Chicago Council of Lawyers for our annual meeting. This year, we are especially excited to celebrate Chicago Appleseed’s 25th anniversary. When: Tuesday, October 25, 20...

Current System for Investigating Sexual Misconduct Complaints Against CPD Officers Welcomes Bias

Chicago City Council Should Authorize COPA to Investigate Complaints of Sexual Misconduct Against Chicago Police Officers A letter of recommendation from the Civil Liberties & Police Accountability Committee of the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed, written by Co...

Ending Code of Silence Policies in the Chicago Police Department’s Collective Bargaining Agreements

The Coalition for Police Contracts Accountability (CPCA) offers recommendations to end the provisions in Chicago Police Department’s Collective Bargaining Agreements that perpetuate the “Code of Silence” According to the Better Government Association (BGA), it was estimated in 2018 that...

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