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The CDEL Story
Our society has a fundamental obligation to guarantee justice for all of its members. The Center for Disability & Elder Law (CDEL) has been expanding access to justice to persons marginalized by poverty, age and/or disability, for over thirty years.
CDEL Is a Proud Member of IL-AFLAN!
Free Legal Aid for Illinois Service Members and Veterans
CDEL’s 2017 Light Up the Loop - a Huge Success
More than 400 attorneys, judges, bar leaders, elected officials and their guests attended the Center for Disability & Elder Law’s Light Up the Loop Awards Benefit on Feb. 23, 2017 at the law offices of Baker McKenzie in Chicago.
The Winter Benefit, chaired by Anthony J. O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel at Illinois Sports Facilities Authority and CDEL Board Member, was one of CDEL’s most successful events in recent years. The Winter Benefit raised critical funds and generated untold excitement and awareness about CDEL’s mission to provide pro bono legal services to Chicago's low income seniors and people with disabilities.
Honorary Co-Chairs Darrell Guy, Associate General Counsel at AT&T, Inc., Daniel M. Kotin, Partner at Tomasik Kotin Kasserman and President at The Chicago Bar Association and Michael S. Smith, Managing Partner at Baker McKenzie, presented CDEL’s annual awards at the event.
CDEL honored Theresa Jaffe with its Impact Award for her life-long record of civic leadership directing, managing and supporting a variety of highly successful nonprofit fundraising efforts. She created and managed the inaugural Chicago Bar Foundation Investing in Justice Campaign. Since its inception, the Campaign has raised over $13 million to support Chicago’s legal aid agencies. She served on the Board of Directors for CDEL when it was known as the Legal Clinic for the Disabled, and when her term of service concluded, she remained a supporter of CDEL’s mission to provide free legal services to low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
The Corporate Partner Award was presented to Walgreens. Since Walgreens began a partnership with CDEL in 2013, sixty-five attorneys and other legal professionals have been trained through four Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars on Powers of Attorney documents and Living Will Declarations for the Senior Center Initiative (SCI) program. These volunteers have participated in seven individual workshops and have assisted ninety senior clients with their documents. Walgreens has also expressed interest in running a SCI workshop in a Walgreens store location, an innovative idea that would facilitate increased access for senior clients.
The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Linda Ochsenfeld, a nineteen year volunteer at CDEL. A mediator as part of her law practice beginning in 1998 and transitioning to mediation full time since 2009, Ms. Ochsenfeld has mediated hundreds of workplace and other civil disputes on the state and federal levels, a skill she has brought to her volunteerism. In June of 2012, Ms. Ochsenfeld began volunteering for CDEL’s Senior Legal Assistance Clinics program and within a few months, she adopted the clinic at Bloom Township for her own — a position she holds to this day.
CDEL Extends our Deepest Thanks to All Who Supported Our
2017 Light Up the Loop Winter Awards Benefit
WINTER BENEFIT HONORARY CO-CHAIRS
Darrell Guy – AT&T, Inc.
Daniel M. Kotin – Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, President, The Chicago Bar Association
Michael S. Smith – Baker McKenzie
EVENT SPONSORS
Platinum Sponsor: Baker & McKenzie LLP
DTI
Gold Sponsor: Kirkland & Ellis
Law Bulletin Publishing Company
Philip H. Corboy Foundation
United Airlines
Walgreens
Silver Sponsors: Corboy & Demetrio, P.C.
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLp
Exelon
Federal Signal Corporation
Locke Lord LLP
Scharf Bank Marmor LLC
State Farm
Bronze Sponsors:
AT&T, Inc.
Cornerstone Research
DeBofsky, Sherman & Casciari, P.C.
Greater Illinois Title Company
Heyl Royster
Holland & Knight LLP
Hurst, Robin & Kay
Jones Day
JP Morgan Chase & Co.
LexisNexis
Mayer Brown LLP
McDonald’s Corporation
Navigant
Perkins Coie LLP
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
TransPerfect Legal Solutions
Valuation Research Corporation
Williams Montgomery & John Ltd.
RAFFLE SPONSORS
Illinois Sports Facilities Authoriy
United Airlines
Corboy & Demetrio, P.C.
North Shore Center for Facial, Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery
Bob and Annette Michalak
Smokey Tomato Café & Catering