Bar Associations Criteria for the John C. McAndrews Pro Bono Service Award

The Illinois State Bar Association has established the John C. McAndrews Pro Bono Award to honor the extraordinary commitment of individuals, bar associations, or law firm/corporate legal departments to  providing free legal services to the income eligible in Illinois or to expanding the availability of legal services to the income eligible in Illinois. The Illinois Bar Foundation will award a $1,000 grant in honor of each John C. McAndrews Award recipient to the Illinois not-for-profit legal aid organization through which the awardee provides pro bono legal services. The Illinois Bar Foundation, in partnership with the Illinois State Bar Association, seeks to enhance the recognition of this prestigious award as part of the Foundation’s effort to encourage and acknowledge pro bono legal work.

The nominee must be an affiliated bar association which is located in the State of Illinois, which encourages and supports, through written policy, pro bono involvement by its members.

The following factors may be considered in selecting the recipient:

  • Whether and how the affiliated bar association encourages its members to meet ABA Standards for Pro Bono involvement.
  • Whether and how the affiliated bar association has made this contribution through organized pro bono programs, including programs run in partnership with legal services programs, legal aid societies or free standing bar association pro bono programs.
  • Whether and how the affiliated bar association has done significant work in developing and implementing innovated approaches to the delivery of pro bono legal services to the income eligible or has developed or adopted a free legal clinic.
  • Whether and how the affiliated bar association has worked on legislation that enhances the availability of legal services to the income eligible.
  • Whether and how the affiliated bar association has demonstrated a commitment to the provision or enhancement of pro bono legal services that in the judgment of the Committee is particularly worthy of recognition.

Nominations must be received by March 19, 2012.