21 February 2003
From: Executive Director, Malcolm Rich
To: Members/Friends
of the Chicago Council of Lawyers
& the Chicago Appleseed Fund For Justice
In
this e-Newsletter:
Please remember
to send us your opinions about state and federal judges before whom you
appear, using the Judicial Reporting Form found on the homepage of our website,
www.chicagocouncil.org.
Legislation incorporating the Chicago Appleseed/Chicago
Council model child support system becomes law
On January 6, 2003,
Senate Bill 1966, the Unified Child Support Services Act, became law in
Illinois as Public Act 92-0876. The Act incorporates the model system
of child support collection and enforcement developed by Chicago Appleseed
and the Chicago Council of Lawyers. Under the Act, the State's Attorney
of any county, in cooperation with appropriate county officers, may submit
a plan for Unified Child Support Services ("Plan"). If approved by
the state child support agency, the state's attorney shall enter into an
intergovernmental agreement incorporating the Plan. According to the
legislation, the Plan must include specified requirements that are part
of the model system developed by Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council
with the assistance of retired Supreme Court Justice Seymour Simon.
The State's Attorneys in Cook and DuPage Counties have both expressed interest
in developing a Plan. Representatives Julie Hamos, Sidney H. Matthias,
Eileen Lyons, Patricia R. Bellock, Cynthia Soto, and Senator Peter Roskam
were the principal sponsors of the legislation.
The Council and the
Chicago Appleseed Fund For Justice released on October 2, 2002 a comprehensive
report on the child support program in Illinois – a program that serves
more children than any state program except the public school system, and
serves them abysmally. The report presented over 80 concrete recommendations
for improving the child support system.
For more
information about the legislation and to get a copy of our report,
A Call For Reform, and its Executive Summary, please go to our
website, www.chicagocouncil.org
The
Law Watchdog Program of the Council: Our Views About Protecting Civil
Liberties
The Civil Liberties
Committee of the Council, chaired by Ed McManus, has prepared several editorials
cautioning against undue attacks on civil liberties:
- Protecting Our
Civil Liberties (published in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and the
Chicago Sun-Times).
- Eliminate Citizen
Requirements on Baggage Handlers.
- The War On Terrorism
Must Not Become a War on Immigrants (published in the Chicago Daily
Law Bulletin).
To get a copy of each
of these editorials, please visit our website, www.chicagocouncil.org.
Please note:
The Civil Liberties Committee will next meet on March 21, 2003 at noon at
the Council office. Please contact me if you will attend or want more
information (Malcolm Rich, phone: 312-427-0713; fax: 312-427-0181; e-mail:
malcolmrich@chicagocouncil.org)
The
Council and Chicago Appleseed would like your views on how we can better
serve you and the public
In 1969, when the
Chicago Council of Lawyers was founded, American civil liberties were
being threatened. The county was in the middle of the Vietnam War and
civil rights and anti-war protesters were being prosecuted. The
Chicago Police Department’s Red Squad -- which spied on law-abiding
citizens -- was in full force. A call went out challenging lawyers in
Chicago to confront this threat by joining in support of civil rights
for all citizens. The Council was born out of a hope that lawyers could
challenge the inadequacies of our legal system by forming a new association
and speaking out against such things as unnecessary restraints placed
on civil liberties, inadequate collection and enforcement of child support,
problems with the judicial electoral system, inadequate representation
of the City of Chicago, inadequate consideration of discrimination complaints
by state agencies, and many more issues. The Chicago Appleseed Fund For
Justice has provided a new tool: social action research and advocacy
on social justice and government effectiveness issues.
It has been
more than three decades since the founding of the Chicago Council of Lawyers
and more than five years since Chicago Appleseed was established. I
would like to hear from the Council membership about what issues you want
the Council to address -- and in what ways? What social justice
and government effectiveness issues would you like to see tackled by Chicago
Appleseed?
Please contact
me with your ideas.
Malcolm Rich
Executive Director
Order
Your Copy of the Fifth Edition of the Tenant-Landlord Handbook
The Tenant-Landlord
Handbook describes the rights and obligations of tenants and landlords
in Illinois with a focus on the laws that are specific to the City of Chicago.
The Handbook covers all aspects of landlord-tenant law in Chicago. The
Appendix to the Handbook includes selected forms, a list of organizations
and governmental agencies that deal with rental housing, a chart on litigation
fees, small claims procedures, sample demand letters, and a copy of the
Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance.
The publishers of
the Tenant-Landlord Handbook are: The Chicago Council of Lawyers; the
Chicago Appleseed Fund For Justice; the Leadership Council for Metropolitan
Open Communities; the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago;
and the National Center on Poverty Law.
$15.00 per copy (includes
postage and handling)
$12.00 per copy for
members of the Chicago Council of Lawyers and contributors to the Chicago
Appleseed Fund For Justice (includes postage and handling)
To order your copy,
please contact Malcolm Rich
(e-mail: malcolmrich@chicagocouncil.org;
phone: 312-427-0713) or go to our website, www.chicagocouncil.org (go to Publications under
Library on the Homepage).
Join
Our Young Lawyers Division
Council Board member
Elizabeth Sobek has become chair of one of the Council's newest initiatives
-- establishing a Young Lawyers Division. The Division will aim
at issues and activities of interest to young lawyers but there is no mandatory
age limit that must be met before you can participate. Our goal
is to not only give young lawyers an opportunity to work and socialize together
as members of the Council but also to get directly involved in the projects
of the Council and Chicago Appleseed. The Council's goal is to
bring about an examplary justice system that is accessible to all persons.
Chicago Appleseed conducts impact research and advocacy projects aimed at
bringing out more effective and fair government services, and breaking down
obstacles to social justice. We want the input of all of our members;
you do not need decades of legal experience in order to work with
us on issues affecting the public interest. To get more information
and to discuss how you can get involved, please contact Malcolm Rich (e-mail:
malcolmrich@chicagocouncil.org;
phone: 312-427-0713) or Elizabeth Sobek (e-mail: eesobek@fieldgolan.com; phone:
312-263-2300).
|