A Chicago Law Firm with Human Interests
Clifford Law Offices upholds numerous community involvement initiatives both in the legal forum as well as with the places and people that resonate with our team. While our foundation as a Chicago law firm has led us to many endeavors in the Midwest, there are circumstances where our resources have served great purpose elsewhere.
9th Annual Run/Walk To Remember
Clifford Law Offices participated in the 9th Annual Run/Walk To Remember hosted by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. This Annual Event raises money for the Mission Beyond the Memorial, which provides assistance to the families of our fallen and catastrophically injured officers. This year’s event took place on May 4, 2013 at Chicago’s Lakefront.
ABA Day at Illinois Law Schools
As part of an American Bar Association (ABA) legal community involvement initiative encouraging law students to join the Association, Bob Clifford created the notion of ABA Day at Illinois law schools. The first annual ABA Day was held at Northern Illinois University College of Law on Wednesday, April 8th, 2009.
ABA Section of Litigation
Just days after the September 11th tragedy, the then-ABA President Robert Hirshon (2001-2002) appointed Bob Clifford as Chair of the newly-formed Task Force on Terrorism and the Law. During the one-year assignment, Bob commanded the largest section of the ABA, which numbered some 65,000 attorneys from across the country. He advised members of Congress, the Department of Justice and the Executive Branch of the legal ramifications of the regulations that would impact thousands. Outside of his duties at his own Chicago law firm, Bob also led a year of critical meetings where these issues were discussed and debated, including a Town Hall Meeting at Faneuil Hall in Boston where the best and the brightest from around the country gathered with moderator Bill Kurtis. The focus was on the sagging public perception of lawyers, a cause that was then taken on by the then-President of the ABA, A.P. Carlton (2002-2003). The second part of the Town Hall Meeting was a give-and-take on this issue, which focused on the year-long study Bob personally commissioned on the public perception of lawyers. Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, a national research group based in Chicago, conducted the study.
Cristo Rey High School Student Work Program
Every semester, Bob Clifford hires students from Cristo Rey High School to work one day a week at his Chicago law firm. Currently, five students from Cristo Rey work at the Chicago law firm on a daily rotational basis.
Miguel G. of Cristo Rey High School worked at Clifford Law Offices as part of the community involvement program
CBA Letters to Santa Program
Each Christmas season, Clifford Law Offices participates in the Chicago Bar Association’s Letters to Santa Program, which serves the city’s underprivileged children and families. The staff at the Chicago law firm adopts a classroom, answers letters written to Santa by the boys and girls, and delivers gifts before Christmas so the children can put them under their trees at home. If you would like to “adopt” a family or help distribute letters at your firm, call (312) 554-2032 or email yls@chicagobar.org.
(Left to right) The Hon. Michael Toomin, Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Justice Division of the Cook County Circuit Court, CBA Treasurer Dan Cotter and Bob Clifford helped in the effort.
CBA’s Young Lawyers Section Book Donation Drive
The CBA Young Lawyers Section holds an annual book donation drive to help incarcerated children and teenagers. Thousands of children’s paperback books are generously donated for the Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School Library located at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. As part of our commitment to community-wide involvement, the staff at Clifford Law Offices contributes time and several books to this worthy cause.
Lawyers Lend-a-Hand Program
As a Board Member of the The Sun-Times Judge Marovitz Lawyers Lend-a-Hand to Youth Program, an attorney from our Chicago law firm helps in deciding where grants are awarded to Chicago-area tutoring programs.
(Left to Right): Tom Hayward, CBF Past President and Of Counsel to K&L Gates; Bob Clifford, senior partner, Clifford Law Offices; Leonard Schrager, CBF Past President and Professor Emeritus at John Marshall Law School; and David Mann, Past Member of the CBF Board of Directors at Holland & Knight.
Investing in Justice Campaign
Clifford Law Offices continues to be a strong supporter of the Chicago Bar Foundation’s (CBF) Investing in Justice campaign. Bob Clifford is one of the founding and sustaining members committed to helping pro bono and legal aid organizations through this important community involvement program. The Investing in Justice campaign relies upon Chicago area lawyers, law firms and corporations to donate personally in an effort to expand the capacity of the area’s pro bono and legal aid organizations, and to underwrite innovative projects that make the justice system more user-friendly and accessible for those in need.
DePaul University College of Law Center for Public Interest Law
Kevin P. Durkin, partner at Clifford Law Offices, was named the first President of the DePaul University College of Law Center for Public Interest Advisory Board in 2008 when the Center formed an Advisory Board to accomplish its objectives. The Center for Public Interest has a long tradition at the school; working to serve the poor and underrepresented with a sense of commitment, and encouraging and mentoring others to help the underprivileged in the community.
Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition (LEAC)
In 2009, Bob Clifford was named to be on the Board of Directors of the Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. LEAC is a not-for-profit charitable group comprised of cooperating fire/rescue and law enforcement agencies that provide no-cost, 24-hour helicopter support to law enforcement and fire/rescue agencies.
Illinois Victims’ Group
In an effort to help empower those victimized by faulty products, negligent doctors and avoidable accidents, Bob Clifford spearheaded the organization of a victims’ group in Illinois. This group, now comprised of hundreds of people from across the state, is an organization based in Springfield dedicated to helping the injured fight anti-consumer legislation. Many of them, some wheelchair-bound, have made the trek to the state’s capital in a plea to legislators to vote against tort reform bills. They, together with lawyers like Bob, were at the forefront of getting the so-called “tort reform” legislation overturned in Illinois in December 1997. This group continues to be of great importance to the Chicago area and the law firm.
Christmas at West Pullman School
Each year, Bob Clifford accompanies other judges and lawyers in delivering Christmas spirit and holiday gifts to low-income children at West Pullman Elementary School in Chicago’s south side.
St. James Parish Coat Drive
Every Christmas morning, Michelle, Elise and Mark Menaker, children of Clifford Law Offices’ Communications Partner Pamela Menaker, help their mom feed the homeless and pass out clothing donations to the underprivileged at St. James Parish on Chicago’s South Side. This event has been part of the law firm’s community involvement interests for a number of years.
Cycle for Survival
Emma Krzak, five-year-old daughter of partner Michael Krzak, was born with a rare form of cancer. Thanks to early detection and advances in medicine, she is a cancer survivor. Cycle For Survival is a cancer research fundraising event where teams of cyclists, including Emma’s team – Emma’s Eight, which includes her dad – ride indoors for four hours. All funds raised go to research efforts at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. In one year, “Emma’s Eight” raised nearly $20,000. If you would like to be part of Emma’s fundraising efforts, you can go to www.cycleforsurvival.org and donate to the Emma’s Eight team. Emma was the 2012 poster child for this community involvement event on a national scale.
Almost Home Foundation (AHF) Pet Aid First Aid
Jodie Diegel, legal nurse consultant at Clifford Law Offices, volunteers with her dog, Buffett (right), to bring joy to patients at Northwest Community Hospital. Buffett became certified as a therapy dog and their hospital room visits help improve patients’ physical and emotional wellbeing. Jodie also volunteered in the first aid tent at the Almost Home Foundation (AHF) 5K Walk/Race Rescue. The yearly event raises funds for AHF, which is dedicated to rescuing stray and abused animals. Jodie adopted Dudley (center) from AHF.
Farmer’s Market
A legal assistant at our Chicago law firm operates a certified organic vegetable and fruit family farm with her daughter in southwestern Wisconsin. Every week from the first week in May until the last week in October, the farm provides transportation and a half-day of work for low-income people from the Madison, Wisconsin area to harvest for a Chicago city neighborhood Farmer’s Market. In return, these workers take home fresh vegetables and fruits for themselves and their families. In addition, any produce that is not sold at the weekly farmer’s market is donated to the Chicago Food Depository during the 18-week Chicago-based Farmer’s Market.
