Talking Points for Campaign Presentations

The Chicago Bar Foundation’s Investing in Justice Campaignis an annual initiative through which our entire legal community comes together to help ensure that everyone has access to necessary legal help, not just people who can afford it. Rebecca Eisner, Partner in Charge at Mayer Brown, Chicago is the Chair for this year’s Campaign.
This is the 12th annual Investing in Justice Campaign, and our firm/company/organization is proud to (again) be one of the leaders in the Campaign this year.
While we are all asked to contribute to many good causes, access to justice really is our common cause as lawyers and legal professionals. We understand, better than anyone, the importance of having access to a lawyer in any case and the wildly different outcomes for those that can get representation and those that cannot. If we don’t take the lead in this cause, who will?
We’re one of more than 150 firms, corporate legal departments and other law-related organizations participating in this year’s Campaign. These are firms and companies of all sizes, from very small firms and departments to the largest and most recognizable firms and corporate legal departments in the Chicago area. It really is our whole legal community coming together around this cause, and we’re in very good company!

The Need

The reason we’re getting involved is because most low-income and disadvantaged people who need a lawyer can’t get one right now. That’s because there’s not enough pro bono and legal aid resources to go around, and that increasingly is true for middle-income folks too.
These are mostly civil cases, where there is no public defender system. Those receiving help made possible by the Campaign include women and children who have been victims of domestic violence, elderly residents who are victimized by consumer scams, and families facing wrongful eviction from their homes, among many others.

(Depending on timing and setup, perhaps share a story from the Facts/Stats/Stories document or show one of the short videos from the toolkit)

To put it into some context, right now about 1.2 million people in Cook County—about 1 in 4—qualify for legal aid today.
Studies have shown that about half of those people have a legal need over the course of a given year. That translates to more than 600,000 low-income and disadvantaged people with a legal need in Cook County this year.
What happens to them next will depend in large part on whether they have access to a lawyer. Sadly, more than half of those in need of legal assistance will be turned away due to insufficient pro bono and legal aid resources.

(There are some powerful studies in the Facts/Stats/Stories document in the toolkit about the difference in outcomes for someone who has a lawyer compared to those who do not)

One of the most immediate impacts is on the courts. The latest national studies show that for civil cases, at least one person is unrepresented in a shocking 3 out of 4 cases today.

We’ve Shown Through the Campaign We Can Do Something About It—110% Impact

100% of every individual contribution to the Campaign directly supports the work of more than 30 pro bono and legal aid organizations, enabling them to provide critical legal assistance to tens of thousands of people in need. Together, we’re really making a big difference.
There are two ways you should think about the impact you can make through the Campaign. First, there is the direct impact of your own contribution, and a little help can really go a long way for people in need:

$100 will help three people get brief advice and assistance at a help desk in the Circuit Court.
$250 will help seven people get brief advice on the CARPLS legal aid hotline.
$500 will help someone get extended legal representation for many typical cases handled by pro bono and legal aid programs.
$1,000 will enable a victim of domestic violence to get an order of protection and divorce, providing temporary safety as well as a path to longer-term stability and independence.

That is just the start of the impact you are making though. Your donations actually have a much bigger impact through the Campaign than we would ever be able to make on our own. This is due to three factors:

Campaign contributions leverage nearly $700,000in additional funding for this work through the CBF’sgovernment and foundation grant partnerships.
Contributions benefit from the CBF’s strategic grants process, which ensures accountability and puts funds where they can make the most impact.
The legal help you are making possible saves significant amounts of money from other overstretched safety net programs. When people can get the help they need, they can resolve legal problems before they spin out of control and require other social services.

Conclusion

In the Campaign’s first eleven years, our legal community has collectively contributed nearly $15 million through the Campaign. And those contributions have leveraged millions more in funds to support these organizations though matching contributions and the CBF’s grants process. Thanks to your generous support, the Investing in Justice Campaign is the largest campaign of its kind anywhere in the country. And that’s something we can really be proud of.
I hope that you will join me and make a strong commitment to support the Investing in Justice Campaign.
(If you having any type of internal challenge or competition, it’s a great time to stress that with your final pitch)

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