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The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) has been dedicated for the last 70 years to bringing Chicago’s legal community together to improve access to justice for people in need and to make the legal system more fair for everyone. The CBF is the charitable arm of the Chicago Bar Association (CBA). Last week, more than 700 people gathered at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago to honor those who have worked hard to bridging the gap in…

A medical helicopter reportedly crashed on Chicago’s South Side Saturday (July 7, 2018) about 9:15 p.m., injuring four people, including a patient in critical condition who was on board. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are looking into the crash that occurred in a grassy area just off where Interstate 94 and Interstate 57 merge near Chicago’s Fernwood neighborhood. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been notified. Chicago Fire Deputy District Chief Walter…

A sobering statistic recently was released by the International Transport Forum: the United States leads the world in increased traffic deaths with a primary cause believed to be distracted driving. According to the new study of 29 nations, only five of the countries saw an increase between 2010-2016. The U.S., which jumped 13.5 percent in this period, was ahead of Argentina that experienced a 9 percent increase, followed by Chile that experienced a 5 percent…

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, along with Patrick Fitzgerald of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Zachary Fardon, Managing Partner at King & Spalding, and Emily Nicklin of Kirkland & Ellis, have been selected as co-chairs of the 200th Anniversary Fundraising Committee of the Northern District of Illinois. Sponsored by the not-for-profit Northern District of Illinois Court Historical Association, the festivities are expected to take place in March, 2019,…

Charles Haskins’ favorite fictional legal character is lawyer and former district attorney Paul Biegler (played by James Stewart) from the movie Anatomy of a Murder. Charles’ favorite line from the movie came from Paul Biegler’s colleague, Parnell Emmett McCarthy, who drunkenly states on juries: “Twelve people go off into a room: twelve different minds, twelve different hearts, from twelve different walks of life; twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes, and sizes. And these twelve people…

“Drones are here to stay,” Robert A. Clifford says in his July Chicago Lawyer column. In examining the law on drones, Clifford looks at what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Congress have been doing to try to control hazardous incidents involving these popular devices. To learn more, read his column here.

In the June 2018 issue of Chicago Lawyer Magazine, reporter Heather Cherone wrote a story on “The Verdict on Verdicts.” In that article, her research demonstrated that, “Despite big-dollar wins, 10 years of data show median verdict amounts are stable.” She interviewed Robert A. Clifford for the story. She wrote, “Robert A. Clifford, the founding partner of Clifford Law Offices, said any lawyer would love to have a practice where they can pick and choose…

Sarah F. King, associate at Clifford Law Offices, received one of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) William J. Harte Amicus Volunteer Awards for 2018. These individuals are recognized for their dedicated volunteer service and professional efforts on behalf of the ITLA Amicus Curiae Committee in preparing legal briefs before the Illinois Supreme Court and appellate courts during the past year. King was among five recipients of this award at the annual ITLA membership meeting…

Kevin Durkin’s favorite fictional character is lawyer Jake Brigance from Time to Kill. According to Wikipedia, “The film involves the rape of a young girl, the arrest of the rapists, their subsequent murder by the girl’s father, and the father’s trial for murder.” Durkin’s favorite quote from Jake is, “Now it is incumbent upon us lawyers not to just talk about the truth but to actually seek it, to find it, to live it.”