Membership
The Lawyers Club is very committed to diversity in its membership. Lawyers who are engaged in active practice in the Chicago metropolitan area and are in good standing may be admitted to membership in the Club. Nominations for membership are made to the Board of Directors pursuant to procedures set by the Board. A nominee is elected a member by unanimous vote of the Directors. There are four classes of membership: Active, Honorary, Non-Resident and Senior. Any person regularly elected to membership in the Club becomes an Active Member. Honorary Members are elected by the Board of Directors and are lawyers whose standing in the profession is preeminent, or who are distinguished in judicial or other public service. Non-Resident Members are former Active Members whose domicile is more than 50 miles from the corners of State and Madison in Chicago. Senior Members are Active or Non-Resident Members of the Club who have attained the age of 75 or who have been admitted to the practice of law for over 45 years.
Meetings
The Club’s dinner meetings are typically on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening at a downtown Chicago dinner club. Cocktails normally begin at 5:00 p.m., with dinner at 6:00 p.m., followed by brief comments from a guest speaker (including questions and answers). Adjournment is normally between 7:45 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. In addition to the regular dinner meetings, the Club has an Annual Meeting in May or June of each year. Officers and Directors are elected at the Annual Meeting.
Dues
Annual dues are currently $175 for Active Members and $35 for Non-Resident Members. Honorary and Senior Members are exempt from the payment of annual dues.
Dinner Costs
The cost of regular dinner meetings (other than the Annual Meeting) is currently set at $60. Special events will have somewhat higher pricing. Any current member who brings a prospective new member as a guest to a dinner is billed at half price for dinner for the guest. In addition, any member proposing a new member who is admitted during the current program year is entitled to a dinner credit. Honorary Members are currently billed at half price for any and all regular dinner meetings.
Upcoming Dinner Meetings
February 4, 2010: Thomas Campbell, a partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP, will speak on the subject of his new book, Fighting Slavery in Chicago: Abolitionists, The Law Of Slavery, And Lincoln. Tom provides an account of the role of Chicago’s abolitionists as they fought against slavery and fugitive slave laws, operated the Illinois station of the underground railway, and furthered Lincoln’s political career. By explaining the political and legal realities of the period from 1835 to 1865, Tom clarifies and explains Lincoln’s often misunderstood positions on slavery. Tom’s book has been called a “must-read” by Eileen Mackevich, the Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Commission. A copy of Tom’s book will be made available to all members who attend.
March 4, 2010: Bruce Bartlett, will speak on the topic of his book, The New American Economy. Mr. Bartlett, who was a domestic policy advisor to Ronald Reagan and one of the originators of Reaganomics, explores whether continued tax cuts are appropriate for today’s economy. A copy of Mr. Bartlett’s book will be made available to all members who attend.
April 1, 2010: Nell Minow and David Yermack will discuss the merits of restrictions on executive compensation. Ms. Minow, who is a co-founder of the Corporate Library, an independent research firm, is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. She has been described as a “CEO Killer,” and believes that CEO compensation has done more to destroy capitalism than Karl Marx. Professor Yermack teaches finance at the New York University Stern School of Business. Professor Yermack has written that “having Uncle Sam set executive compensation is unnecessary and unworkable.” This should be a lively discussion. (Please Note: This meeting will be a luncheon meeting.)
April 28, 2010: Professor Steven G. Calabresi of Northwestern University School of Law and Professor Geoffrey R. Stone of the University of Chicago School of Law will debate the merits of “original intent” as a method of constitutional interpretation. Professor Calabresi, one of the founders of the Federalist Society, served in the Reagan and first Bush administrations. Professor Stone, who has served as Dean of the University of Chicago Law School and Provost of the University of Chicago, is a well-known scholar in the area of constitutional law and a frequent speaker to the Club.
May 25, 2010: Theodore B. Olson, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and former Solicitor General of the United States, argued the case of Bush v. Gore in the Supreme Court. He will speak on his challenge to Proposition 8, the referendum in California banning same sex marriages.
June 23, 2010: Clarence Page, the Pulitzer Prize winner columnist with the Chicago Tribune, and a member of the Tribune’s editorial board since 1984, will speak to the Club at our Annual Meeting.
Apply for Membership
Proposal for Membership Form
|