The CBF’s work is guided by a comprehensive strategic plan developed by the CBF board with input from all of our key stakeholders and periodically reviewed and updated.

By mobilizing Chicago’s legal community around this cause and then using a strategic mix of grants, advocacy, pro bono and partnerships, the CBF takes a system-wide approach to improving access to justice and focuses on objectives that are best achieved by the legal community working together.

More specifically, the CBF works to:

Strengthen our community’s pro bono and legal aid organizations

Enable dedicated lawyers to pursue careers in legal aid

Maximize opportunities for pro bono lawyers to effectively supplement the work of their legal aid counterparts

Make the courts and legal system more user-friendly and accessible for those in need

You can learn more about the CBF’s strategic plan in this overview. A much more detailed depiction of the CBF’s strategic plan and the longer-term impact we are working to achieve can be found in the CBF’s strategic frameworks. More information also can be found in the CBF’s FY 12 Program Goals and a Report on our FY 11 Goals.

A more detailed depiction of the continuum of resources and services the CBF believes is necessary to achieve equal access to justice is also available.