Ninety-four bench and bar leaders attended the inaugural Roger K. O’Reilly Conclave on Professionalism on Thursday, December 6, 2007, at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Chicago. This program was convened by the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Professionalism, with the co-sponsorship of the Illinois Judges’ Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.

The day included both plenary and working group sessions. Jesse Jackson, Sr. was the keynote speaker. His remarks focused on education as the door to a more diverse profession. The outcome of the Conclave was the identification of initiatives in two specific areas: the diversity of our profession; and the appropriate balance of the traditional core values of the profession in a more competitive marketplace.

This program, modeled after the national conclaves on legal education, will publish a Report and Recommendations for implementation. Upon completion, the report will be posted on this site.