MCBA COMMITTEES: If you would like to join one of our committees, please fill out the form below and you will be contacted regarding your interest. If you have any questions about any of our committees, you may contact the appropriate committee chair. Their email addresses are linked below.
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• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) - Nargis Khokhar, Committee Chair. This is a newly formed 2022 committee. The ADR Committee explores an interdisciplinary collaborative law approach to family law litigation. By enlisting a panel of judges, attorneys, psychologists, mediators, counselors, parenting coordinators, divorce coaches, and custody evaluators, we are developing a protocol that will assist families in achieving child-centered, best-interest informed solutions in their cases, and minimize a family's upheaval in litigation. We also educate legal practitioners to be more trauma-informed so they can best help families as they navigate a difficult phase of their lives. This committee has non-legal professionals as members, and requires all members to actively display a commitment to choose amicable conflict resolution over litigation.

 

• Bench-Bar - Judge Amy McFarland and Todd Miller, Committee Co-Chairs. The Bench-Bar Committee facilitates communication between the bench and the bar and works to anticipate problems or friction for a more efficient operation of courtrooms and economize client expense.

 

• By-Law Amendments - Hunt Henderson, Committee Chair. The By-Law Amendments Committee considers, reviews and revises (when appropriate) proposed amendments to the association's bylaws from time to time, and advises the association's officers, board of governors, and members in regard to such proposals.

 

• Continuing Legal Education (CLE) - Brendan Bukalski, Committee Chair. The CLE Committee is tasked with planning CLE programs for monthly luncheon meetings as well as more specialized, longer programs for the bar. Committee members craft topics and ideas, find qualified speakers, and coordinate the events. Affordable CLE credits is one of the primary benefits of bar membership.

    

• Corporate Counsel - John Hurney, Committee Chair. The Corporate Counsel Committee was formed to help better integrate the local in-house/corporate counsel (“in-house counsel”) into the McLean County Bar Association.  The purpose of the Committee is to design programming that helps in-house counsel gain more benefit from their membership in the Bar.  In addition, the Committee also works to tap into the vast base of legal knowledge that local in-house counsel possess in order to present and exchange this information to private practitioners and the community.  Finally, the Committee seeks to build networking opportunities between local in-house counsel and private practice attorneys. 

   

• Criminal Law (CLC) - Brendan Bukalski, Committee Chair. The Criminal Law Committee facilitates interaction and promotes goodwill among criminal law practitioners, both in prosecution and defense, and provides continuing legal education opportunities that are unique to criminal law practitioners. In doing so, we hope to provide those practitioners more insight into substantive and procedural criminal law developments as well as the high ethical standards applicable to those working in and with our justice system. 

 

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) - Judge Carla Wheeler, and Judge Mary Koll, Committee Co-Chairs. The MCBA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee seeks to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within the profession and practice of law in the community and among its members.  In addition, the committee seeks to develop and implement guidelines and trainings to encourage inclusion of people within the practice of law regardless of race, ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, religion, or political affiliation.

 

• Family Law - Samantha Walley, Committee Chair. The Family Law Committee is a voluntary association of attorneys who strive to improve the practice of family law in McLean County. The committee is devoted to promoting professional and ethical conduct, creating a collegian relationship among family law practitioners, maintaining effective interaction with the courts, and sponsoring continuing legal education in the area of family law.      

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• Guardian Ad Lietim - Samantha Walley and Candice Thomason, Committee Co-Chairs. The GAL Planning Committee takes the lead in organizing the biennial two day continuing legal education for practicing GAL's.

 

• History/Memorial - Brendan Bukalski and Julia Davis, Committee Co-Chairs. The McLean County Bar Association History and Memorial Committee meets on a quarterly basis to discuss past and resent memorials of deceased bar members; video interviews of retiring bar members and others who have reached retirement age; archival issues for bar history, including storing bar history in the cloud drop box; community outreach and partnerships. The committee makes efforts to preserve and protect the rich history of the McLean County Bar Association for future generations. Over the past several years, interviews have taken place via audio and video with seasoned and experienced bar members to assist in preserving real perspectives of bar members as to the practice of law in McLean County. As technology changes, the committee strives to continue to preserve the records for future generations.


• ​Law Day - Judge Pablo Eves, Committee Chair. The Law Day Committee plans the annual luncheon and related activities associated with Law Day, including the presentation of the Community Service Award and Lincoln Award of Excellence. 

 

• Lawyers In The Classroom [LITC] - Jennifer Patton and Michael Butts, Committee Co-Chairs. The Lawyers in the Classroom Committee is dedicated to serving the legal community and the communities of McLean County by providing opportunities to schools in McLean County to have volunteer attorneys present on subjects of law and the practice of law. Over the years, our volunteers have presented on subjects ranging from  an introduction to the practice of law to kindergartners to specific questions regarding constitutional law for high school students to a mock trail of Romeo and Juliet that made local news. Our goal is to promote the practice of law and the respect and passion that we have for the legal profession to our youth with the hope that they will become future leaders in the legal profession.​

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• Membership - Brendan Bukalski and Julia Davis, Committee Co-Chairs. This is a newly formed 2021 committee. ​

 

• Mentoring - Jaime Ganschow, Committee Chair. The McLean County Bar Association is a sponsoring organization of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism's Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program. The mentoring program creates an opportunity for experienced lawyers to provide professional guidance and share their judgment and skills with lawyers in their early years of practice. 

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• ​Mock Trial - Matthew Koetters, Committee Chair. The McLean County Bar Association partners with the Illinois State Bar Association Committee on Law Related Education for the Public and the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Trial Courts to create a unique experience for high school students. Coaches bring their high school student teams from all over the state of Illinois to compete inside of the court rooms at the McLean County Law and Justice Center. The Volunteer MCBA Committee, Attorneys, Coordinators, Judges and Evaluators all make this event possible. We look forward to hosting this event each February.

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• Nominations - Katy Kraft Committee Chair.

 

• Pro Bono - Carrie Haas, Committee Chair.

 

• Real Estate - Brian Garwood, ​Committee Chair. The mission of the Real Estate Committee is to increase the proficiency of the real estate practice for the betterment of the general public and the members of the bar association.  

 

• Scholarship - Taylor Williams, Committee Chair. The Scholarship Committee awards the $2,500 MCBA Community Service Scholarship to a second or third year law student with strong ties to McLean County (or its surrounding communities) and a demonstrated commitment to legal aid work, pro bono activities, or community service. The committee updates all forms, publicizes the scholarship, reviews all the applications, and selects a winner. The chairperson invites the winner to the MCBA Annual Holiday Luncheon for the presentation of the scholarship.

 

• Social - Randy Baker,​ Committee Chair. The Social Committee organizes and coordinates a range of events for bar members throughout the year. These social gatherings help foster a more collegial atmosphere by providing opportunities for members to connect with one another outside of an adversarial setting

 

• Underwood Committee on Professionalism - Carissa Haning and Craig Queen,​ Committee Co-Chairs. The Underwood Committee on Professionalism is named in Honor of Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert C. Underwood. The Committee is charged with developing programs that educate and promote professionalism within the legal community. The committee has developed “Principals of Professionalism” or a Code of Conduct which are guidelines that set forth the minimum ethical standards for those who practice law in McLean County. Please see the Underwood Committee on Professionalism page at this LINK. ​​​