by Paul Dailing
On Nov. 1, 1978, the Chicago Council of Lawyers unveiled an eight-page newsletter with articles submitted by prominent local attorneys.
Today, Chicago Lawyer magazine is still going strong, celebrating its 40th anniversary with a special issue in November and a special $40 subscription price.
The magazine has gone through a number of owners, focuses and formats since that first issue, which featured articles by then-U.S. Attorney Thomas P. Sullivan ("Poor receive legal services middle-class can't afford") and then-UC Davis instructor, current Senior U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo ("Why people don't trust lawyers"). In June 1989, the Law Bulletin Publishing Company—forerunner to today's Law Bulletin Media—acquired the monthly publication.
Today, Chicago Lawyer acts as bellwether of trends and developments in both the practice and business of law as well as resource for the community. With columns like "Clifford's Notes," "Med-Mal Matters" and "All in the Family," the magazine still features insights from practitioners on the cutting edge of law, but also pairs those with award-winning design and journalism looking at what it really means to practice in the Land of Lincoln. Quarterly surveys on firm staffing, associate pay, diversity and office space create both snapshot and strategy for our readers, and features like Q&A, Spaces and In Summation highlight attorneys of note, innovative offices and Big Law's pro bono outreach, respectively.
Chicago Lawyer magazine has come a long way since that eight-page newsletter, but its focus on the practice of law has never flagged.
To subscribe, please call (312) 644-2394.
Paul Dailing is the editor of Chicago Lawyer magazine. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, Getty Images, the Chicago History Museum’s ongoing “Chicago Authored” exhibit, the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald and through the Agence France-Presse Asia Pacific Bureau out of Bangkok, Thailand.