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Welcome to the Fourth Annual Benefit for the Family Defense Center! Since it was formed seven years ago, the Family Defense Center has become a preeminent champion for families in Illinois as well as throughout the United States. This year, in addition to representing clients in important cases in the Illinois and federal appellate courts and pressing for new legislation that focuses child welfare resources on children at genuine risk of harm, the Family Defense Center has increased its efforts to assist children and families with mental health concerns. Not only is the Center helping these families overcome the systemic obstacles that indiscriminately rip them apart, but it is also advocating for policies, programs, and practices that will reinforce family and community networks and enable the children and families to thrive. We are especially pleased today to honor Karl Dennis, a forerunner and an advocate of thirty years for such an approach, as the recipient of our 2012 Family Defender Award. In just a few short years, the Family Defense Center has grown to be a truly powerful protector of children, and a defender and friend of families throughout Illinois. With your support, the Family Defense Center can continue fulfilling this imperative role of protector, defender, and friend to children and families all throughout the state and all throughout the nation for years to come. We are honored to co-chair today’s benefit. We hope you enjoy this year’s benefit and offer our sincere thanks for your continued support for this increasingly vital advocacy organization that protects children by defending families. Ann Courter Norm Hirsch Joseph Monahan Cocktail Reception and Award Ceremony 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Reception Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres Silent auction including original pieces by painter and muralist Alejandro Romero Entertainment by harpist Penny Currier 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Program and Award Ceremony Special Recognitions Michael W. Weaver, McDermott Will & Emery Individual Attorney Recognition George J. Barry, retired, and Kathleen A. Barry, Winston & Strawn Father-Daughter Pro Bono Service Recognition Slide Show He’s My Son by Toni Hoy Parent Advocate Recognition The 2012 Family Defender Award Honoring Karl Dennis Brief Address by Karl Dennis Focus on Families and Strengths: The Linchpin to Success in the Child Welfare and Mental Health Systems 6:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m. Live Auction and Program Conclusion David Meyers, Auctioneer 6:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Dessert and Silent Auction 6:45 p.m. – Raffle Drawing 7:30 p.m. – Benefit Conclusion 1 W elcome to the Fourth Annual Benefit Event of the Family Defense Center! Thank you for joining us this year as we celebrate the remarkable contributions of Karl Dennis as the 2012 Family Defender, and give special recognition to four individuals (Toni Hoy, George Barry, Kathleen Barry and Michael Weaver) who have dedicated themselves to advancing justice for families through their work with the Family Defense Center this past year. Every honoree inspires me, and I know that when you meet them and hear about their many accomplishments, you’ll feel the same way. Once we decided to honor Karl Dennis, tonight’s program fell into place: Karl has the gift of making complex things simple (while I have the opposite knack for making the simple complex!). The theme of tonight’s event—Families Overcoming Challenges, Celebrating Each Other—stems from Karl’s life-long commitment to working with youth whose behavior challenges their families, their communities and the authorities. Justice for these children requires an approach that values them and recognizes their strengths, not solely their pathologies. Karl’s child-centered and family-centered work on behalf of these challenging children and their families meshes perfectly with our own motto: “to protect children, defend families.” Karl is at once the staunchest protector of children and the strongest ally of families in their efforts to help their children become healthy, happy and productive. The Family Defense Center’s work on the intersecting area of child welfare and mental health issues is also highlighted in this year’s event. Some of our most demanding, but also most rewarding, cases involve children whose behavior actually endangers themselves and their family members. I invite you to read our most recent special issue of The Family Defender to learn more about the Center’s work in this area. At the Family Defense Center, we see far too many instances in which the goal of justice for families seems like an elusive dream. At the same time, we have many success stories to celebrate and inspire us to further action. We are grateful that, in our journey towards justice for families, we have so many allies, including all our friends who have joined us in this celebration. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy tonight’s program! Diane L. Redleaf Executive Director 2 Event Co-Chairs: Norman Hirsch, Ann Courter, and Joseph Monahan NORMAn HIRSCh joined Jenner & Block in 1982. He is a litigator focusing in the areas of professional responsibility and antitrust proceedings in federal and state court. Norm also has significant experience representing nuclear utilities in breach of contract cases against the U.S. government. The National Law Journal has recognized Norm as one of 11 “winning” trial lawyers nationwide who are “model(s) of the modern litigator.” He has also been recognized for multiple consecutive years by Legal 500, Leading Lawyers and Illinois Super Lawyers. Norm has Ann Courter and Norman Hirsch written and lectured extensively on professional responsibility issues. He serves on the board of the the youngest children and their families (www. Chicago Sinai Congregation. collab4kids.org). Norm received a bachelor’s degree from the University Ann and Norm have been married for 27 years and of Chicago in 1977. He received his law degree from have three children. They are long-standing supporters Stanford Law School in 1980, where he was an editor of the Family Defense Center. of the Stanford Law Review. After law school, Norm clerked for the Hon. Fred Cassibry in the Eastern JOSEPh T. MOnAhAn is founder of the Chicago District of Louisiana, and then for the Hon. Cecil law firm of Monahan Law Group, LLC, and is an Poole on the United States Court of Appeals for the adjunct professor of law at Loyola University Chicago Ninth Circuit. School of Law where he teaches Mental Health Law. He also teaches a Ann COURTER is a graduate of the University of Iowa new online course, and received a law degree in 1981 from Yale Law Child Mental Health School. She also clerked for the Hon. Fred Cassibry Law, in the Masters after law school, then worked as an associate at Jenner of Jurisprudence & Block, where she met Norm. She left Jenner in program in the Child 1984 to work as a staff attorney at the Legal Assistance Law Program. The Foundation of Chicago. Ann has twice been elected Monahan Law Group, to the school board in Oak Park, and has served on LLC, represents over numerous nonprofit boards. She has worked as the 70 hospitals located budget and tax policy director for Voices for Illinois throughout the State Children, and as a policy analyst for the Illinois P-20 of Illinois, numerous Council, which coordinates education from preschool social service agencies and scores of individual clients, to the university level. She currently serves as the and provides legal services related to guardianship, Vice-Chair of the Collaboration for Early Childhood mental health, risk management, confidentiality, in Oak Park, working to leverage and integrate disability and similar issues. community resources to better meet the needs of Continued, next page 3 Before becoming an attorney, Joe received his Joe just finished a three-year term as a Board Member master’s degree in social work. He served as Executive of the National Association of Social Workers. He Director of a county licensed child welfare agency, is now serving as President of the newly formed which provided child welfare and foster care Risk Retention Group which provides malpractice services. In this capacity, he served on numerous insurance for members of NASW. He is active in the community and statewide boards helping to develop Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations and is a Board legislation and policy concerning child welfare issues. Member of the Foundation for Human Development. Following his admission to the Illinois Bar, Joe was an attorney with the Legal Advocacy Service of the Joe received his law degree from DePaul University Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, College of Law and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees with special responsibility for coordinating legal in Social Work from the University of Illinois- services to minor wards of the state in mental health Champaign. facilities and developmental centers, as well as Joe has beeen a strong supporter of the Center and has providing legal services to persons with disabilities. frequently advised the Center staff on mental health- related child welfare cases. Honorary Co-Chairs: Carolyn Kubitschek, Christopher Sullivan, and Dorothy Roberts CAROLYn KUBITSChEk’s precedent-setting legal work Carolyn was a music is a major reason that there is a Family Defense major at Oberlin and Center. Her brilliant and winning legal theories in is an accomplished the 1994 case Valmonte v. Bane (challenging child pianist. After graduating abuse registries and the lack of due process in the from the University state of New York) were instrumental to our victory of Chicago Law in the Illinois class action suit Dupuy v. Samuels. School, she met her Dupuy, started in 1997, took 13 years to conclude and now-husband and law resulted in sweeping changes in the child protection partner David Lansner investigations and appeal system in Illinois.

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