Bob Clifford Brings Holiday Cheer with Judges and Lawyers to West Pullman School
Letters to Santa Program at CBA
Bob Clifford fills 2011 Christmas wishes for many underprivileged families at Christmas through the Letters to Santa Program at the Chicago Bar Association (CBA). Chicago public schoolchildren write letters to Santa Claus with their Christmas “wish lists” that are distributed to CBA members. If you would like to “adopt” a family or help distribute letters at your firm, contact Jenni Bertolino at 312-554-2031 or email her at jbertolini@chicagobar.org.
CBA’s Young Lawyers Section Book Donation Drive
“Reading Changes Lives” is the theme of the 2011 CBA’s Young Lawyers Section book donation drive to help incarcerated children and teenagers. Thousands of children’s paperback books were generously donated for the Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School Library located at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. (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.
Lawyers Lend-a-Hand Program
As a Board Member of the Lawyers Lend-a-Hand Program, Our attorney helps in deciding where grants are awarded to Chicago-area tutoring programs. Here he is at an on-site visit in 2011 with Executive Director Erin McPartlin (standing) of the Cabrini Green Tutoring Program, Inc.
Chicago Bar Foundation Reception
Joan and Bob Clifford hosted a reception to help raise money for the Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF), the charitable arm of the CBA. The CBF helps low-income and disadvantaged Chicagoans get legal information and assistance through pro bono organizations as well as helps attorneys pursue legal aid careers. Pictured, left to right, are Tom Hayward, CBF Past President and Of Counsel to K&L Gates; 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.
St. James Parish Coat Drive
Michelle, Elise and Mark Menaker, children of Clifford Law Offices’ Communications Partner Pamela Menaker, spend Christmas morning with their mom every year at St. James Parish on Chicago’s South Side feeding the homeless and helping with clothing donations to the underprivileged.
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 fund-raising event where teams of cyclists ride indoors for four hours. All funds raised go to research efforts at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Last year, Emma’s team, “Emma’s Eight” which included her dad, raised nearly $20,000. On Feb. 11, 2012, Emma’s Eight hopes to break that record. If you would like to be part of Emma’s fund-raising efforts, you can go to www.cycleforsurvival.org and donate to the Emma’s Eight team. Emma is the 2012 poster child for this national fundraising event.
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 well-being. Jodie also volunteered in the first aid tent at the Almost Home Foundation (AHF) 5K Walk/Race Rescue. The yearly 5K 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 in our office 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.
Investing in Justice Campaign
Clifford Law Offices continues to be a strong supporter of the Chicago Bar Foundation’s (CBF) Investing in Justice campaign. Now in its third year, Robert A. Clifford is one of the founding and sustaining members committed to helping pro bono and legal aid organizations. 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-friend 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, encouraging and mentoring others to help the underprivileged in the community.
Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition (LEAC)
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 non-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.
ABA Task Force on Terrorism and the Law
Just days after the September 11 tragedy, the then ABA President Robert Hirshon appointed Robert Clifford as Chair of the newly-formed Task Force on Terrorism and the Law. From that moment forward, he was on the phone nearly every day and on an airplane nearly every week to discuss how to help the victims of this bloody disaster. He has been advising members of Congress, the Department of Justice and the Executive Branch of the legal ramifications of the regulations that will impact thousands. He has advocated for litigation restraint among his colleagues while a mourning country tries to sort through the legal morass. He has talked to many families who lost loved ones and been a source of comfort, support and guidance at a time when they knew not where to turn. He has done all of this on his own time, time taken away from his own successful law practice.
Illinois Victims’ Group
Mr. Clifford has made a real mark in the city and on the profession through his tireless efforts in organizations dedicated to helping those less fortunate. In an effort to help empower those victimized by faulty products, negligent doctors and avoidable accidents, Mr. 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 Mr. Clifford, were at the forefront of getting the so-called “tort reform” legislation overturned in Illinois in December, 1997.
Letters to Santa Program
The staff at Clifford Law Offices have been adopting a classroom at Christmas for many years through the Letters to Santa Program. They answer letters written by the boys and girls to Santa in hopes of making their holidays a bit brighter. The gifts are delivered to the classroom before Christmas so the children can put them under their trees at home.
