Pro Bono | Shefsky & Froelich - Lawyers with Real Imagination

As professionals, Shefsky & Froelich attorneys serve the greater Chicago community and beyond by generously providing pro bono legal services at a reduced or no fee to those most in need, but least able to pay. We believe our pro bono activities are a professional duty, and one that is embraced firm wide. Countless individuals have benefited directly and indirectly from the pro bono legal assistance our attorneys provide to charitable institutions and community groups; donating both personal and professional time and energies to drafting documents, participating in organizations’ community events and serving on and counseling boards of directors, and numerous other volunteer activities. We know first-hand that pro bono work uplifts and motivates us all.

Sharing with Our Communities, the Nation and the World

We are acutely aware of the blessings that have been bestowed upon us: good health, prosperous business, supportive families and loyal clients. We feel it is important to return a portion of the benefits of our education, experience and good fortune with those less fortunate by working to assist worthwhile charities and other entities. Hours devoted by Shefsky & Froelich associate attorneys to pro bono matters are fully recognized by the firm.

Charitable Representative Recipients of Pro Bono Legal Services

(The) 100 Club of Chicago. Shefsky & Froelich has performed pro bono corporate legal work for this charitable organization and a partner in the firm serves on their board of directors. Members of the group contribute and raise funds to support and assist families of law enforcement officers and fire fighters killed in the line of duty.

AidsCare Inc. of Chicago. Our firm has been involved in negotiating various City of Chicago departments to enable AidsCare to develop an innovative health-care campus that includes independent living facilities for persons with HIV/AIDS and their families, a wellness center that will provide health-care services and health-care counseling, and a community center. Our professional services have included establishment and amendment of an institutional planned development; negotiation of three redevelopment agreements with the City of Chicago; multiple real estate closings; renegotiation of a charitable funding agreement; and appearances before the Chicago Plan Commission, the City Council Committee on Zoning, and the Community Development Commission.

Autism Speaks. A member of Shefsky & Froelich staff single-handedly organized what has become an annual Chicago fundraising event for Autism Speaks in 2002. The RIDE FOR AUTISM SPEAKS has contributed thousands of dollars in support of the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

Chicago Bar Foundation. A partner in the firm has served as a member of the Chicago Bar Foundation/Chicago Bar Association Pro Bono and Public Service Awards Steering Committee.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. Two partners in the firm have worked with the CVLS for many years; one serving as faculty in a training program to assist the volunteer attorneys in defense of certain suits, and the other is a former CVLS board member.

Fenwick Bar Association. One of our partners is a founding member of this social and professional network for all members of the Fenwick community engaged in the practice of law. He served as its president from 2000 – 2012 and continues to serve on the Board of Trustees, reviewing contracts and handling other corporate needs.

First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn. A partner serves as pro bono general counsel to the church, an affiliate of the United Church of Christ.

God’s Hill Center. Our firm has provided zoning advice regarding rehabilitation of their facility.

Greater Chicago Food Depository. As Chicago’s food bank, this nonprofit food distribution and training center is committed to ending hunger in the community, working through a network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to serve 678,000 adults and children in Cook County every year. Periodically, Shefsky & Froelich personnel volunteer full days to packing bulk items into individual and family portions for delivery to multiple distribution sites.

Hispanic Press Foundation. Our firm provides corporate governance advice to the board of directors of the foundation.

Hope Institute Learning Academy. Located Chicago’s west side, HILA is an inclusion-model demonstration primary charter school in the Chicago Public School system that supports students to achieve and succeed. Our partner has volunteered her time on the Board of Directors since 2005 and was recently appointed for another 5 year term. She also is active in the fundraising arm of the organization, The Hope Institute for Children and Families. Shefsky & Froelich provides legal advice and counsel regarding fundraising; primarily providing the legal research to structure the raffle of a “Dream House” or $1million prize, licenses, contract reviews and all other matters involved in conducting the raffle. The firm also provides legal advice to the Institute Foundation in connection with amending and restating its corporate bylaws.

Illinois Fatherhood Initiative. A partner in the firm volunteered his time to serve as president (2010-2011) of this organization that provides resources, programs and education to promote responsible fatherhood and build lasting relationships with their children.

Inspiration Café. The firm has assisted this key part of Inspiration Corporation in connection with business license matters, making it possible for the organization to provide food pantry and restaurant meals in a therapeutic community of dignity and respect. Inspiration Corporation is dedicated to improving community stability through increasing income and stable housing.

Jesse White Tumblers, Inc. A partner in the firm served for two years as a member of the board of directors of this Chicago landmark not for profit organization. Founded in 1959, the current Secretary of State created an organization for children and teens to provide a recreational, athletic, educational and cultural enrichment experience for the team members. This is a juvenile delinquency prevention program designed to help youngsters grow tall and straight. The members are required to abide by Jesse White's strict rules, which include staying in school, maintaining a "C" average in academic coursework and staying away from gangs and drugs.

Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (Washington, D.C.), The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (Washington, D.C.), The Henry Jackson Society (London) and The Ari Movement for Civil Society (Istanbul). A senior partner in the firm is associated with these four internationally constituted think tanks and writes for several publications concerned with national defense of the U.S. and our democratic allies, focusing on the defense of democracies against those seeking to harm our societies. He currently serves as vice-president of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Involvement in these organizations requires periodic study missions, symposia and meeting with leaders of government in most Middle Eastern countries and several European and Latin American countries.

Kohl Children’s Museum. Our firm advised the museum regarding the construction of their facility on land owned by the City of Glenview, and is currently advising the museum on all aspects of its corporate organization and related activity.

Law and Leadership Institute. Shefsky & Froelich’s Diversity Committee supports and assists the Illinois State Bar Association, the Just the Beginning Foundation and other Chicago law firms to sponsor and host a number of interactive programs on legal topics for minority high school students throughout the year. Both principal seminar program partner organizations have long been committed to increasing diversity in the legal profession.

Lymphoma Research Foundation. One of our associates is actively involved in the advocacy program at the LRF, the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and providing people with lymphoma and health care professionals with up-to-date information.

(The) Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern Illinois, Inc. We have been involved with the organization for many years, including service on the Board. We have provided a wide variety of legal services for organizational, fundraising, wish-granting, personnel and contractual issues.

Martin Luther King University of Illinois. For the past few years, a Shefsky & Froelich partner has served as a voluntary co-chair for the annual Martin Luther King remembrance and celebration dinner hosted by the Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations. The primary purpose of the event is to raise funds for the Commission’s scholarship program, which this year got a boost from the University of Illinois, which offered a matching-funds program.

Namaste Charter School. One of our partners serves on the Board of Directors and is Secretary for this urban charter school dedicated to “Educating Children From the Inside Out.”

Northshore Senior Center. We represented NSSC in the acquisition and redevelopment of their spacious and well-equipped new headquarters facility in Northfield, Illinois, including representation of the organization in obtaining the necessary zoning and governmental approvals. In addition, we helped NSSC expand their property to include an adult day care facility for Alzheimer’s patients, including land acquisition and governmental approvals.

Partnership for Connected Illinois. We represent this State-sponsored corporation, which is a major recipient of Federal stimulus funds, in working to extend high speed broadband connectivity to all rural areas in Illinois.

PAWS Chicago. The city’s largest no-kill humane organization provides animal adoption, clinics, education, resources and animal advocacy. A Shefsky & Froelich partner has, since 2006, provided pro bono legal services to the organization, including representation in probate matters and serving as a front-door greeter. Selected as the June 2012 “Spotlight Volunteer,” she frequently assists with “Angels With Tails” adoption events and has co-chaired the very successful 3K/4K fundraiser run since 2007.

Peaceable Primate Sanctuary. Our firm served as a resource for this Illinois not-for-profit corporation, which operates a retreat for baboons retired from the entertainment and research industries.

Rainforest Conservation Fund. Our firm served as general counsel for this Illinois not-for-profit corporation organized for the purpose of maintaining an 800,000-acre reserve of primary forest in the northern region of Peru.

St. Leonard’s Ministries. We have represented St. Leonard’s Ministries (affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago) for many years on land use matters connected with their various facilities (St. Leonard’s House, Grace House and the Michael Barlow Work Center), all of which serve ex-offenders and help them re-enter society and avoid return trips to prison. Our work involved helping this group secure space to conduct its initiatives, which include providing housing for ex-offenders, a community center, group therapy rooms, an instructional kitchen to train the residents for jobs in the service industry, and a café to provide employment for some of those residents.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Two Shefsky & Froelich partners worked on this matter on behalf of Jan Tichy, an artist, who teaches at the School of the Art Institute. The project was called “Project Cabrini Green,” and was a public art installation that chronicled the demolition of the last high-rise of the Cabrini Green housing development. We reviewed and drafted agreements with the CHA that would allow the artist the right to enter the property and use it for his public art installation. As a component of the project, there was live feed video footage of the demolition from the high-rise site projected at the Museum of Contemporary Art, a client of the firm.

Share Your Soles. The firm posted an appeal from this organization internally for the donation of child and teen-sized Crocs in May of 2012. An infestation of parasites in Kenya was creating life-threatening disabilities for barefoot children and the molded plastic footwear has been recognized as an inexpensive and effective deterrent to infections. One of the firm’s paralegals organized the collection of the donated shoes and delivered them to a central collection location for the charity.

Spertus Institute. In addition to volunteering other support and assistance over the past several years, one of our partners served the Institute as Chairman of the Board.