Burke Warren Proud to Partner with JPMorgan Chase and Cabrini Green Legal Aid on Key Chicago Area Pro Bono Projects

Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C. is proud to partner with JPMorgan Chase and Cabrini Green Legal Aid on pro bono projects and initiatives addressing the needs of Chicago area residents. Efforts supporting the firm’s partnership are spearheaded by Burke Warren partners Alexander Marks and Susan Miller Overbey. The partnership reflects Burke Warren’s ongoing commitment to provide pro bono legal services. The firm is especially pleased to work with Cabrini Green Legal Aid, a long standing pro bono partner of the firm.  

On October 25, 2021, Mr. Marks and Ms. Overbey participated in a criminal records expungement summit held at the JPMorgan Chase branch in Chicago’s Stony Island neighborhood. The event also included representatives from JPMorgan Chase and Cabrini Green Legal Aid.

About Cabrini Green Legal Aid

Cabrini Green Legal Aid was established in Chicago in 1973 to serve legal needs arising from the lack of opportunity, criminalization of poverty, and racial inequity experienced within the Cabrini Green community. Since then, CGLA has grown beyond a single neighborhood to become a citywide, countywide, and now recognized statewide leader in supporting low-income individuals negatively impacted by the criminal justice system. Any engagement with the criminal justice system can greatly disrupt an individual, family, and community’s quality of life. For this reason, our mission is to seek justice and mercy for those living in poverty by providing legal services that strengthen individual lives, families, and communities. We aim to proactively fill the void of legal representation, wraparound services, and advocacy for individuals affected by the criminal justice system. https://www.cgla.net/programs

About JPMorgan Chase

For over 150 years, JPMorgan Chase has served the Chicago community – and with nearly 4.5 million customers, nearly 500,000 business clients and 14,000 employees in Chicagoland, we remain committed to the city and its people. At a critical time in Chicago’s history, we recognize the need to create economic opportunity on the South and West sides and address racial disparities that have adversely impacted communities of color. We will continue building on our recent efforts: In 2021, we committed $150 million in philanthropic capital and low-cost loans to Chicago’s South and West sides. This commitment builds on additional $600 million in home lending to increase homeownership among 3,000 Black and Latinx families across Chicago and is part of the firm’s $30 billion national commitment to advance racial equity. Now, by combining our unique set of business, data, policy and philanthropic resources, we aim to improve homeownership opportunities, accelerate wealth creation, help grow small businesses and expand financial health for Chicago’s South and West sides. This brings our philanthropic and business investment in Chicago to $800 million by 2025. We know that there is much more we can do to create equal economic opportunity in Chicago, and we are proud to be invested in Chicago for today and tomorrow. https://www.jpmorganchase.com/impact/communities/advancingcities/city-partnership-chicago

Burke Warren’s Steadfast Commitment to Pro Bono Efforts

Burke Warren recognizes that certain segments of society cannot afford and do not have access to competent legal representation. Accordingly, the firm has made a strong commitment to providing pro bono legal services for indigent and at-need clients. Our attorneys are strongly encouraged to perform pro bono work. The firm is also a yearly leader in the Chicago Bar Foundation’s "Investing in Justice" campaign, which has raised more than $15 million toward grants for pro bono agencies in the Chicagoland area. Burke Warren’s active pro bono docket includes providing free legal services in all of its practice areas, ranging from assisting not-for-profits becoming incorporated to securing rights via contested litigation for those most vulnerable. The firm has also formed partnerships with numerous legal aid agencies, assisting each in facilitating its stated goals. Several attorneys have received awards for their extensive pro bono service, and in 2016, the Firm was selected as Metropolitan Family Services Legal Aid Society’s Scott Solberg Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year. Mr. Marks, Burke Warren’s Pro Bono Committee Chair, noted the strong tradition at the firm of providing pro bono services to those most in need to ensure equal access to the bar for all: "It is an ethical and moral responsibility we take very seriously. The selfless work performed by firm attorneys provides a great service to our community, and the clients we aid are incredibly grateful for the assistance provided. The firm's commitment to pro bono work is a source of great pride, and the flexibility to perform such work is one of the great aspects of working at Burke Warren."  about-probono.html