APRIL 22, 2025 — BIRTH OF THE LAKE COUNTY BAR FOUNDATION SCHOLARS
By: Scott B. Gibson, Chair LCBF Long-Range Planning Committee
April 22, 2025 will be remembered as a historic day in the life of your Lake County Bar Foundation. On that Tuesday, the Bar Foundation’s Board unanimously approved funding for the Lake County Bar Foundation’s initial scholarships supporting Lake County Students attending Law School.
Since February of 2024, the Bar Foundation’s Long-Range Planning Committee, investigated, researched and thoughtfully considered how to best answer the question that has hovered over the Foundation since its 1960 birth – how can the Bar Foundation most effectively support our Charitable Mission ,and at the same time create our own identity within the greater community, to continue to grow and support our mission’s purpose?
The answer is the “Lake County Bar Foundation’s Scholars.” Each chosen Scholar will be related to Lake County and receive funding to support their Law School education. Our Foundation’s intent is that this is only the beginning. We are initially funding $100,000 each to Northern Illinois University College of Law and DePaul University College of Law which will have an immediate impact by supporting multiple students beginning in the 2025 Fall Semester. Each LCBF Scholarship is funded over the next 10 years instilling continuity and longevity to support and create a culture of LCBF Scholars who will be introduced and welcomed into our Bar Association and all of our activities.
Our vision includes expanding our Scholars funding to additional Illinois Law Schools and also increasing our donations over time. We give thanks to both DePaul and NIU’s Law School Deans and their Administrations who enthusiastically support our funding program. Both schools are very cooperative and have agreed to structure our scholarship as “one-time donations” with our plan to continue to financially support the LCBF’s Scholars but with no legal obligation to do so depending on our future financial status.
We also give great thanks to member Phil Bock, who along with Brian Wanca, had a conversation with me many years ago after a LCBA Trial Committee Meeting inquiring whether our organization could accept “CY PRES” Awards. In response, we immediately restored the legal status of our Foundation resulting in the receipt of multiple CY PRES Awards giving us the ability to now make a significant impact to help those in need.
Additionally, great thanks goes to our LCBF Long-Range Planning Committee who are giving significant time, energy, and their skill to bring April 22, 2025 into reality – President Joann Fratianni, Keith Grant, Rick Lesser, Eric Reinhart, Perry Smith, and Past-LCBF President Nick Riewer. Finally great thanks goes to Executive Director Greg Weider for attending countless meetings, and always providing a steady hand and immediate answers to our many inquiries.
Our Committee and Board will continue to update regarding the recipients of our Scholarships. We hope that all of you will enthusiastically support and welcome our Law School Scholars into the Lake County Bar Association and Foundation community.
