Joining the Chicago Community to Run for Justice

For the past 28 years, the legal community in Chicago has come together at Race Judicata to run (or walk) a 5K, celebrate with a live band, and raise money for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS). 

A cohort from Wallace Miller was proud to participate for the first time this year. Together with the Chicago legal community, our firm raised over $20,000 to support the CVLS’s mission to provide vital legal services to those unable to afford them. 

The Wallace Miller team at Race Judicata.

Legal representation for everyone  

Founded in 1964, Chicago Volunteer Legal Service (CVLS) is the oldest provider of free civil aid in the city. The organization connects more than 2,300 volunteer attorneys from almost a thousand law firms and other organizations to low-income Chicagoans who couldn’t otherwise afford legal aid. 

The mission of CVLS is to make sure the law works for everyone, regardless of their ability to afford a lawyer. Through their pro bono work, they offer representation in everything from bankruptcy to eviction to immigration via online services and 19 legal clinics around Chicago. 

Image courtesy of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services.

Running for justice  

The funds raised by Race Judicata go directly to CVLS’s general operating costs. By helping to fund their extensive online and in-person resources, the event mobilizes Chicago’s legal community to connect legal services with those who need them. 

More than 120 law firms, associations, and other organizations attended Race Judicata on August 29. The crowd included lawyers and legal teams from all areas of the legal field as well as representatives from organizations including the American Immigration Lawyers Association, CARPLS, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Exoneration Project, and the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association. 

On the very humid late summer night, law firms set up tents, provided food and drink, entered the t-shirt design contest, and prepared for the 5K. The route—run and walked by more than 3500 participants from the legal community—looped through Lincoln Park to Diversey Harbor and back (check out the results and the entries to the t-shirt contest at the event page). 

After the race, our team connected with legal colleagues, opposing counsel, and friends old and new while we enjoyed music from the live band. The event was a chance not only to help CVLS raise money for their pro bono legal aid, but also to reaffirm the mission of Wallace Miller—to stand up for the rights of those who suffer from unfair systems and make sure the law benefits everyone. 

Our team believes that together, we can work for a more perfect legal system. The law should not be out of reach for anyone—that’s why we operate on a contingency fee model that ensures none of our clients pay anything unless we win their case. Learn more about the mission of CVLS at their website, and stay tuned to hear more about what Wallace Miller is doing to work for justice in our community.