Affirming her belief that “bar association involvement brings attorneys together, both professionally and socially,” North Suburban Bar Association President Deidre Baumann of Chicago has adopted several goals.

Among them are establishing a Web site that can be maintained long-term, providing a series of continuing legal education opportunities, and establishing an in-court lawyer referral program in the 2nd Municipal District.

Together, these will help increase NSBA membership, make the association a growing force and resource for the North Shore communities it serves, and give it a voice with the courts.

“We get to learn from each other, commiserate with each other,” Baumann said, “and we are reminded that we are not alone in fighting for justice, however grueling it occasionally becomes.”

A 1992 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Baumann interned with the Cook County public defender Felony Division and practiced with a boutique First Amendment firm.

She started her own practice in 1996 and now is a partner in Baumann & Shuldiner, which also has an office in DesPlaines. Her partner, Paul Shuldiner, preceded her as NSBA president.

Baumann is president of the Chicago-Cook County 4-H Foundation and a volunteer with the Legal Assistance Foundation's Lawyers for the Homeless Project. She lectures occasionally at the Northwestern University School of Law and has helped students at Maine South High School prepare for competition in a citizenship program.

In her rare moments of spare time, Baumann enjoys traveling in the United States, Europe and South Africa. Photographs she has made on her trips have been displayed at The Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum.