The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is pleased to announce that it is a 2024 recipient of the Honorable William D. Missouri Civility Award, which is presented by the American Bar Association Judicial Division.
The award honors judges and legal professionals who “exhibit exceptional qualities of civility, courtesy and professionalism toward colleagues, litigants and the public,” according to the ABA. It is named in honor of the late Judge William D. Missouri, who was a Circuit Administrative Judge in Maryland’s Seventh Judicial Circuit.
ABA President Mary Smith will present the award on Wednesday, July 31, at the 2024 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. Judge Peter M. Reyes Jr. of the Minnesota Court of Appeals will also receive an Honorable William D. Missouri Civility Award.
“We are honored to be nominated by so many of our partners and collaborators in Illinois for this award, which pays tribute to the ideals of civility, integrity, and respect in the legal profession,” said Erika Harold, Executive Director of the Commission on Professionalism. “I would like to thank the American Bar Association for this recognition and the Illinois Supreme Court Justices, Commissioners, and staff of the Commission – both past and present – who have played a role in advancing our professionalism mission to the lawyers and judges of Illinois.”
The Commission was nominated for the Missouri Civility Award by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Rochford, Illinois Appellate Court Justices Michael Hyman and Debra Walker, former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Thomas, former Commission Chair Martin Sinclair Jr., and Daniel Cotter of Dickinson Wright in Chicago, on behalf of the ABA Annual Meeting Host Committee.
“This award is a result of the foresight of the Illinois Supreme Court, which set ambitious professionalism goals for the lawyers and judges of our state, as well as the enthusiasm of our dedicated Commissioners and talented staff,” said John Kim, Chair of the Commission on Professionalism. “I would also like to recognize the community of lawyers, judges, law schools, legal organizations, and sister organizations of the court who have collaborated with us to advance professionalism across the state. Finally, thank you to all who nominated the Commission for this important award and to the American Bar Association for this honor.”
The Commission on Professionalism was established by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2005 to promote among the lawyers and judges of Illinois principles of integrity, professionalism, and civility; to foster a commitment to the elimination of bias and divisiveness within the legal and judicial systems; and to ensure that those systems provide equitable, effective, and efficient resolution of problems and disputes for the people of Illinois.
The Commission does so by providing professionalism-based training and education for judges, lawyers, law students, and other legal professionals across Illinois. This includes an annual Future Is Now: Legal Services conference, online and in-person continuing legal education (CLE) courses, and Courthouse Professionalism Trainings, among other programs.
In addition, the Commission collaborates with more than 100 law firms, bar associations, law schools, and other legal organizations across Illinois to administer a lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring program that emphasizes developing a career grounded in professionalism and civility.
To support the delivery of high-quality professional responsibility CLE courses, the Commission supports CLE providers across Illinois in course development and approves all courses offered to fulfill the state’s professional responsibility MCLE requirements.
Finally, the Commission writes and speaks frequently on topics of legal professionalism and studies the impact of incivility and other professionalism issues in the legal profession.
Last year, the Commission launched a statewide initiative to assess the prevalence and impact of bullying in the legal profession and recommend best practices for preventing it.
This initiative—titled “Bullying in the Legal Profession: Its Prevalence, Impact, and Strategies for Prevention”—is believed to be one of the first wide-scale research projects conducted in the U.S. on this topic.
In September 2023, more than 6,000 active Illinois lawyers responded to a brief, anonymous survey on their experiences with bullying in the legal profession. This was followed by focus groups of Illinois attorneys in early 2024, to explore the personal impact of bullying more closely.
The final report is expected to be delivered and publicly presented in 2024.
“The Commission on Professionalism is tackling some of the most pressing issues impacting the lives and careers of legal professionals, like bullying, incivility, bias, trauma, and ethical challenges, to name a few,” said Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford, who serves as the Supreme Court Liaison to the Commission. “In doing so, the Commission is helping lawyers and judges do better and be better every day.”
About the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
The Illinois Supreme Court established the Commission on Professionalism under Supreme Court Rule 799 to promote integrity, professionalism, and civility among the lawyers and judges of Illinois, to foster a commitment to the elimination of bias and divisiveness within the legal and judicial systems, and to ensure those systems provide equitable, effective, and efficient resolution of problems for the people of Illinois.
The Commission achieves this mission through professional responsibility CLE, lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring, legal professionalism programming, educational resources, and more. To learn more, visit 2Civility.org and follow us on social media.
Press Contact
Laura Bagby, Communications Director
312-363-6209
laura.bagby@2civility.org