★ Law Day ★

The 2023 Law Day magazine is available for browsing or to download.

The rule of law is foundational to our constitutional democracy, and an independent judiciary is essential to ensure that the rule of law is respected and endures. I submit to you that, as lawyers, we owe a special duty to the public and the legal system in which we serve to see to it that our judiciary remains independent and our judges remain safe. As lawyers, we need to use our skills as advocates and influencers to explain why the importance of an independent judiciary isn’t lessened or diminished on any situational basis.

Since its inception in 1987, the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA) has worked to foster civility, community and compassion within the legal profession. We do this through various mentoring, scholarship and community outreach initiatives. Although our efforts are generally focused in Chicago, every five years, it has been our tradition to host a national summit inviting judges, attorneys and law students from across the country for an opportunity to engage, encourage and empower one another and the next generation of lawyers. The theme of the 2023 National Summit March 30-April 1 was “Together, We Soar,” emphasizing that our potential is limitless when we work to uplift one another.

While technology has certainly increased the pace and improved the practice of law, electronic communications have become the No. 1 hotspot for lawyer misbehavior and incivility. This must change. As a mentor taught me, “If you wrestle with a pig, you’ll both get muddy, but the pig will enjoy it.” Dexterity in communicating in interactions with clients, witnesses and the public are skills that lawyers historically developed early in their careers and fine-tuned over the course of their lives.