Lathrop & Gage Furthers Active Involvement, Leadership in Chicago Bar Foundation
Continuing the firm's commitment to the Chicago Bar Foundation and the city's legal community, Lathrop & Gage attorney Blaine Kimrey (Business Litigation - Chicago) has joined the CBF's Abraham Lincoln Circle of Justice. The Lincoln Circle is a CBF initiative whose goal is to ensure that everyone in the Chicago area has equal access to justice regardless of financial means. Donations to the Lincoln Circle campaign provide long-term improvements to the community's pro bono and legal aid system.
Mr. Kimrey, who serves as Partner in Charge of the Chicago office, also is a member of the CBF's Nominating and Governance Committee. This group is responsible for assessing and nominating members of the board of directors; making recommendations regarding the board's composition, operations and performance; overseeing the organization's succession planning process; developing corporate governance principles; and helping shape the governance of the CBF. The committee's membership includes members from all sectors of Chicago's legal community.
"The venerable Abraham Lincoln left many legacies for our city, state, and nation," the CBF states. "None was more significant than his unwavering commitment to equal access to justice. The CBF Abraham Lincoln Circle of Justice is a prestigious group of lawyers, judges and other dedicated legal professionals who carry on Lincoln’s legacy. The Lincoln Circle gives the CBF the flexibility to address emerging needs as they develop and provide the venture capital that makes it possible for the CBF to aggressively pursue innovative projects that can significantly expand the availability of legal assistance for people in need."
"Lincoln Circle contributions allow the CBF’s leadership to continue to advocate for sufficient government funding for legal aid and related access to justice initiatives," said Mr. Kimrey, who started his career at Lathrop & Gage in Kansas City and has rejoined Lathrop in Chicago after three years as an associate at Winston & Strawn in Chicago and three years as a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in Chicago. "I am proud of the firm's commitment to the CBF, as well as my continuing involvement and leadership with such an honorable organization."
A former journalist at two major metropolitan daily newspapers, Mr. Kimrey is a trial lawyer licensed in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas whose practice focuses on a broad range of direct and class action commercial litigation involving topics as diverse as media, the Internet, intellectual property, entertainment, insurance, banking, civil rights, telecommunications and mass catastrophes and torts. He serves as Chair of the ABA TIPS Media, Privacy and Defamation Law Committee and as Co-Chair of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association Media Law Committee. In 2008, Mr. Kimrey was chosen by Chicago Law Bulletin as one of 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch. In 2009, Mr. Kimrey was designated by Benchmark Litigation as a Future Star in Illinois. Mr. Kimrey's most recent successes have included dismissals of mobile phone marketing class actions in multiple states.
About Lathrop & Gage:
A leading full-service law firm, Lathrop & Gage LLP has approximately 300 attorneys in 11 offices nationwide – from Los Angeles to New York, New York. In 2009, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop & Gage’s corporate, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and labor and employment teams among the best in their regions. For more information, visit www.lathropgage.com.
