Collaboration for Justice: Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers
Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice began in 1970 as the Fund for Justice, a nonprofit research group, dedicated to finding solutions for inadequacies in the legal system. In 1997, the Fund for Justice joined the National Appleseed network to become the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice. Since then, Chicago Appleseed has expanded its research and advocacy mission to encompass National Appleseed’s broader goals of systemic change in institutions beyond the courts, while continuing our work for better courts.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers began in 1969, the creation of civic-minded attorneys who believed that lawyers have a unique professional obligation to their community. As a public interest bar association, the Council works for effectiveness, accountability and equity in the law so that everyone has an equal chance for justice. It advocates on behalf of social justice causes primarily in the areas of civil rights, immigration and criminal justice.
The two organizations are independent entities that frequently collaborate in order to accomplish as much as possible with the resources they have. Members of the Chicago Council offer pro bono lawyers and skilled advocates, while Chicago Appleseed lawyers and staff bring research skills, grant funding and administrative capacity. Both organizations have similar goals, advocate in the same areas, and share basic principles about access to justice and fairness in government.
If you attended the Appleseed Pillars of Justice event in April, you heard Richard Godfrey talk about the importance of pro bono to the profession and our responsibility as attorneys to commit pro bono hours to promoting justice for everyone.
A similar belief in pro bono has been the guiding principle of the Chicago Council of Lawyers for over 40 years. Through its frequent collaboration for justice with Chicago Appleseed, the Council nurtures this sense of duty in its members and offers them additional ways to engage in pro bono work. We encourage you to join the Council and join in its mission of advocating for fair and efficient administration of justice, just as we encourage you to donate time or money to Chicago Appleseed.
Our courts are critical to American society. People need meaningful access to them not simply to redress wrongs, but sometimes merely to order their lives, such as in the case of divorce, probate, or foreclosure. Assuring meaningful access to the courts is the purpose of both the Chicago Council and Chicago Appleseed. Working together, we identify barriers to justice and propose solutions. The Chicago Council is able to network and advocate in political settings where it is not appropriate for Chicago Appleseed to participate, and Chicago Appleseed is able to devote full-time staff to research which informs their advocacy.
The collaboration between the two groups has been strong for decades and offers great possibilities for the future. Chicago Appleseed often relies on Council members for pro bono assistance and for advice as we identify and design research projects, while the Council often uses our research to bolster their advocacy for change and our institutional capacity to support their work for justice.