Stepping up to Sponsorship

For the past two years, I have had the honor of managing the Commission on Professionalism’s Statewide Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program. Rather than being just another part of the job, it has truly been an honor. To have played a small part in connecting lawyers around the state, with the ultimate goal of transferring knowledge to […]

The Pay Gap In The Legal Field Is Significant

In March, the Census Bureau released new data in honor of Women’s History Month. Once again, among full-time, year-round civilian workers across all occupations, women were reported as earning 78.8 cents to every dollar earned by men. The new data, compiled by the 2013 American Community Survey, organized the 2010 census data by occupation, including […]

Recognizing Millennial Leadership

On January 1, 2011, the first Baby Boomer turned 65 years old. Every day since, 10,000 Boomers have turned 65. This will continue for the next 14 years. And then one December night, in 2029, the very last Baby Boomer will reach that once traditional retirement age. And if she is employed, she might think […]

Incivility and Professional Ethics

Can lawyers properly advocate for their clients without being aggressive toward opposing counsel? Many say no—aggressiveness is part and parcel of advocacy. And over the past few decades, anyone who is in the ring with lawyers would agree that there has been an increase in aggressiveness, also characterized as incivility. Many say the incivility is […]

Upcoming Panel Advocating Civility

Is civility an issue in the legal profession? Discipline roundups may sanction the extreme, but where should legal professionals draw the line on less flagrant breaches of professionalism? According to the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism’s 2014 Survey on Professionalism, more than 85% of respondents reported experiencing some instances of uncivil or unprofessional behavior within […]

Why Black Judges Matter

Crain’s recent article on the lack of black male federal judicial appointments in the 7th Circuit has generated some strong comments. I agree that diversity on the bench is important. But I take issue with the overly simplistic finger-pointing at President Barack Obama and contend there is a systemic problem with a lack of diverse […]