On the blustery, rainy evening of Oct. 19, the Alliance of Illinois Judges (AIJ) and the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago (LAGBAC) held its second annual networking event for mentors and mentees at Sidetrack. About 30 people attended the event, where they discussed similar interests as legal professionals in a casual setting.
Judge Jamie Shapiro, 8th Subcircuit, introduced both Judge Colleen Sheehan, president of AIJ, and David Amen, Esq., chair of the mentoring program and board member of LAGBAC.
Sheehan said she hoped this event will become an annual gathering since it supports the mission to educate and support their mentees.
Amen added, "We send a representative from our board to each of the six Chicago area law schools to tell them about the program and then we solicit student involvement. Then we pair the students with mentors who are members of LAGBAC. After that the AIJ comes along and they match a substantial percentage of our student participants with judges. It's a great opportunity for students who are LGBT or LGBT allies to get a connection to the legal community through a mentor."
The lesbian and gay judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County formed AIJ as a resource for fellow judges and the legal community, and to be mentors for LGBT law students.
As for LAGBAC, it is a professional organization of lawyers, judges, law students and legal professionals who seek to increase the awareness of the public, the legal profession and the judicial system about legal issues of particular concern to the LGBTIQ community.
To find out more about the AIJ visit www.theaij.com; to find out about LAGBAC, visit www.lagbac.org .