Chicago Daily Law Bulletin

Donald Hilliker Steps to the Fore at Legal Aid
Organization
Julia Brunts
September 5, 2002
Donald B. Hilliker has his work cut out for him -- as much as $1
million worth. Hilliker, a long-time member of the board for the
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, has taken over
as president of the organization. Hilliker's term is one year, and
it happens to be the year in which the foundation anticipates large
reductions in funding from several of its money sources.
Sheldon Roodman, LAF executive director since 1976, said the
foundation has an annual budget of about $12 million. Of that,
about $6.4 million has in the past come from the Legal Services
Corp., the entity that disburses federal money for legal aid.
In the wake of the 2000 census, which showed 35,000 fewer poor
people in the state, as well as a change in the distribution
formula, LAF expects to get $350,000 less from LSC starting next
January, Roodman said.
In addition, he said several foundations that give money to the
LAF have seen their endowments shrink with the declining stock
market, and the money available from the Interest on Lawyers Trust
Accounts program also has dwindled as interest rates have
approached zero.
At the same time, requests for services from the foundation,
which has the mission of providing free legal aid to poor people in
order to make "equal access to justice" a reality, have increased
as the economy has softened.
"We're caught in a vise here with more demand and less
resources," he said. "There is a real challenge for our board of
directors to help us raise additional funds to help offset these
losses and to help prevent reductions in staff and services to our
clients." He said Hilliker will be a good person to lead the
organization through such an effort. An LAF board member since the
mid-'80s, Hilliker has been involved with legal aid in some way for
his entire career. Hilliker earned his law degree from Northwestern
University School of Law and was admitted to practice in 1969. His
first job was in legal services as a Reginald Heber Smith
fellow.
Hilliker is now a complex litigation partner in McDermott, Will
& Emery and chairman of the firm's Pro Bono Committee. He said
he's never lost interest in having lawyers do what they can to help
those in need.
"The central issue is that we are a society of laws, and for
that to truly work, there must be equal access to the justice
system for everyone, whether they have the ability to pay or not,"
he said.
Roodman said Hilliker is in an excellent position to help the
foundation attract more private donors and recruit lawyers in
private practice to volunteer their services. "I think Mr. Hilliker
brings extraordinary leadership to the organization," he said.
"Because of his many years of service on our board, he knows its
strengths and the importance of its work. He will be good at
getting the whole board to take a more active role in
fund-raising."