This special award honors the individuals and institutions who have made the law and legal profession more accessible to and reflective of the community at large.
2025 Vanguard Awards Luncheon
April 22, 2025 | 11:30 a.m. Reception, 12:00 p.m. Luncheon
Union League Club of Chicago
$75 per person | $750 per table
2025 Honorees:
Advocates Society – L. Steven Rakowski
Arab American Bar Association of Illinois – Nura Yanaki
Asian American Bar Association - Theodore Yi
Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. – Judge Jacqueline P. Cox
Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago – Judge Thomas More Donnelly
Chicago Bar Association –Ray J. Koenig III
Chinese American Bar Association of Greater Chicago - Alan K. Tse
Cook County Bar Association – Larry Rogers, Jr.
Decalogue Society of Lawyers – Howard H. Ankin
Filipino American Lawyers Association - Judge Aileen Bhandari
Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois – Homero Tristan
Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois – Thomas G. Massouras
Justinian Society of Lawyers - Frank A. Sommario
LAGBAC -Chicago's LGBTQ+ Bar Association - Judge Linda J. Pauel
Muslim Bar Association of Chicago - Leena Odeh
Puerto Rican Bar Association – Hilda Frontany
South Asian Bar Association of Chicago – Amrith Kaur Aakre
Women's Bar Association of Illinois - Judge Mary Colleen Roberts (ret.)
Questions? Contact Michele Spodarek at 312-554-2124.
History of Vanguard Award Recipients (PDF).