Pulitzer Winner To Keynote Chicago Bar Meeting

CHICAGO -- Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Clarence Page will give the keynote address at the 41st annual meeting of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, on Wednesday, October 20, 2010. The reception will be held at the Chicago Cultural Center, in the Preston Bradley Hall, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Mr. Page, a columnist and a member of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board, will address the need for a candid and constructive conversation about race.

The program will include a tribute to the men and women who challenged the firefighters entrance exam, in Lewis v. City of Chicago. Clyde E. Murphy, former Executive Director of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee will be recognized for his lifetime achievement in civil rights.

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee will recognize Kirkland & Ellis LLP for its support for the Community Economic Development Law Project. "We are honored to be recognized by the Chicago Lawyers' Committee, and proud to support the Community Economic Development Law Project, a vital project serving Chicago's low-income communities," said Kirkland & Ellis partner and pro bono coordinator Terrence Dee. Susan Kaplan will be recognized for her 25 years of service to the Law Project.

Jenny Goltz of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson will be honored as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of 2010 in recognition of her contribution to the Project to Combat Bias Violence. "It is a special honor for me to receive this award because I believe strongly in justice and equal opportunity for all. It is important for attorneys to give back to their communities, using their skills to help people in need," said Ms. Goltz. "Public interest work is a priority for me, and my collaboration with the Chicago Lawyers' Committee has been enormously productive and gratifying."

Chicago Lawyers' Committee, a cooperative, pro bono effort of Chicago's leading law firms, is Chicago's partnership for equal justice. Annually, over 20,000 hours of donated professional legal services, with a value of $3.5 million, are directed to civil rights issues through the Committee.