CARPLS’ Golden Gavel Celebration

The Honorable
Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County President will be the keynote speaker at CARPLS annual
Golden Gavel Celebration from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm on Thursday, June 5th
at the InterContinental Magnificent Mile Hotel, 505 N. Michigan, Chicago.   Thomas
McCann, an associate at McDermott Will & Emery and Stacey Smiricky, a
partner at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP will co-chair the event.

Keynote
speaker Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has
been a dedicated community leader for over two decades. Through collaboration
and commitment, President Preckwinkle has worked with the County Board, our
elected official and county employees to implement major reform and reshape
county government into a world-class institution based on the foundation of
fiscal responsibility, innovative leadership, transparency &
accountability, and improved services.

Lester
Munson is a senior writer and legal analyst at ESPN.com and ESPN and is
synonymous with the Golden Gavel Celebration after serving as emcee for over a
decade.  His wit, humor, stories and legal expertise always make the Golden
Gavel Celebration memorable.

“The
Golden Gavels is CARPLS’ top fundraising event to help this organization fill a
crucial legal aid gap in our city, providing nuts-and-bolts legal services to a
segment of Chicagoans who typically fall through the cracks of our pro bono
system,” said Chicago Thomas McCann, who is co-chairing the event and a member
of the Associate Board of Directors.

 “I look forward to co-chairing this event that
is a fun and a meaningful way that brings the legal and philanthropic
communities together to make a difference,” said co-chair Stacey Smiricky, CARPLS
board member and Treasurer of Geneva. “Cook County is one of the nation’s
largest consolidated court systems, filled with cases involving everyday
problems of everyday people and I am involved in CARPLS because I appreciated
the need for pro bono and low cost
legal assistance.”

More than 350 people are expected to attend the event which
raises $200,000 every year for the organization and consists of corporate
sponsors, business leaders, underwriters and guests from a diverse cross
section of the legal and non-profit companies. Tickets are $100. For more
information, buy tickets, or make a donation call Tanya Pietrkowski at
312-421-4014 or visit us on Facebook or at  http://carpls.org.

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About CARPLS

CARPLS is an innovative legal aid service that offers an
immediate response to the everyday legal problems confronting low-income
residents of Cook County Illinois. CARPLS' Legal Aid Hotline and court-based
Advice Desks give low-income clients direct access to experienced attorneys.
Using innovation and technology, CARPLS’ experienced attorneys level the legal
playing field, promote a more effective justice system, and give clients
powerful tools to solve problems and overcome life challenges. CARPLS provides
immediate and direct assistance to clients over the legal aid hotline and at
four court-based advice desks and resolves cases 85% of the time without need
for outside referral.