The Illinois Bar Foundation has held receptions during the past year to explain to the judiciary how cy pres awards, the residuals of class action lawsuits, can help provide justice for people who can't obtain or afford legal representation on their own.

The foundation turns cy pres awards into grants through which legal assistance agencies throughout the state can provide direct assistance while recruiting and training pro bono volunteers among the organized bar.

The cy pres doctrine is a court-approved means of distributing funds that are left over from a class action verdict after the original purpose has been fulfilled and all eligible claims paid, or when individual damage amounts are too small to warrant distribution.

Bar Foundation officials point to a recent trend that allows flexibility in the use of cy pres funds for public interest programs, such as improving the legal system, that indirectly benefit members of a class.

Cy pres awards to the foundation, and ultimately to the organizations it supports, help the underserved in society by ensuring that the justice system remains fair and equitable.

For more information, call the Bar Foundation at (312) 726-6072 or access www.isba.org/ibf.