Events

Community Outreach

An integral part of the Illinois Chapter’s mission is supporting not-for-profit organizations and initiatives by professional associations which build bridges between family lawyers and the public. The Chapter is committed to increasing understanding of—and access to—family law.

Charitable support

The Illinois Chapter has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the AAML Foundation and other charitable groups. Organizations benefitting from these donations include:

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
Crisis Center for South Suburbia
Feeding Illinois
Food for the Poor
Illinois Bar Foundation
North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic
SHALVA
WINGS Program, Inc.

$5,000 grant to wings, Advocates for Survivors of domestic violence.

Left to right: Rebecca A. Darr, WINGS President & CEO, Rachel Martin WINGS Foundations & Corporate Grants Manager, Stuart G Gelfman, Partner Birnbaum, Gelfman, Sharma & Arnoux LLC, in his capacity as President, AAML-Illinois, Sarah Swiston WINGS Media and Communications Manager and Michelle Chase WINGS Grant Assistant.

AAML Foundation awarded a $5,000 grant for funding year 2024 to WINGS Program, Inc. WINGS, the leading support and advocacy organization for survivors of domestic violence, helps provide housing, integrated services, education, and advocacy to break the cycle of domestic violence.

Photo: Tom A. McDonald

$5,000 challenge grant to support Feeding Illinois

Lisa Nyuli (left), partner, Ariano Hardy Ritt Nyuli Richmond Lytle & Goettel P.C. and member of the Board of Managers (AAML), presents a check to Stephen D. Ericson (right), executive director of Feeding Illinois, and Julie Yurko (center), executive director of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, to support hunger relief.

The Chapter’s $5,000 grant was designed to attract another $5,000 in contributions. This challenge exceeded its goal, with donations to Feeding Illinois totaling $11,166.75 for the purchase of more than 89,000 meals for Illinois residents facing hunger and food insecurity.

$5,000 grant to the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic

James M. Quigley (left), partner, Beermann LLP, in his capacity as president of the Illinois Chapter of the AAML, presents a check to Susan Shulman (right), executive director of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic in Highland Park, Ill. The $5,000 grant was awarded by the AAML Foundation, which provides funds to charitable organizations across the country that help families and particularly children adversely affected by the breakup of the family unit.

Photo: Shin Lim

April 20, 2024 Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Gala

Funds raised benefit the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation

The Foundation was organized in 1990 for the purpose of furthering the Academy’s charitable and educational purposes.

Samuel S. Berger Award

Gala Honoree Howard A. London of Beermann LLP has been named the recipient of the 2024 Samuel S. Berger Award by the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. This award is presented to an Illinois attorney or judge who, like the late Judge Berger, “exemplifies the highest standards of integrity, courtesy, knowledge of family law and demonstrates an extraordinary ability to solve human problems.”

Samuel Berger Award Winners

To honor the legacy of the late Samuel S. Berger, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers recognizes attorneys and judges who exemplify the highest standards of integrity, courtesy, knowledge of family law and the extraordinary ability to solve human problems. This annual special event was suspended due to the global pandemic.

2024 Howard A. London
2023 James H. Feldman
2023 James H. Feldman
2023 James H. Feldman
2020 Howard Rosenfeld
2019 Richard Zuckerman
2019 Richard Zuckerman
2019 Richard Zuckerman
2019 Richard Zuckerman
2015 Hon. Michele Lowrance
2014 David H. Levy
2013 Hon. Nancy J. Katz

2012 Hon. Edward R. Jordan
2011 Donald C. Schiller
2010 Hon. William S. Boyd
2009 Muller Davis
2008 Joy Feinberg
2007 Hon. Carole Bellows
2006 H. Joseph Gitlin
2005 Francis Corwin
2004 Floyd Nadler
2003 Justice Mary Anne McMorrow
2002 Miles N. Beerman
2001 Sanford Kirsh

2000 Hon. Timothy Evans
1999 Hon. Grace Dickler
1998 James T. Friedman
1997 F. Dennis France
1996 Dr. Lyle Steven Joffe
1995 Hon. Susan Snow
1994 Hon. Jane D. Waller
1993 Joseph N. DuCanto
1992 F. Dennis France
1991 Hon. Philip S. Lieb
1990 Hon. Robert L. Hunter
1989 Burton Terry