BWLA’s Annual Spring Fundraiser Luncheon 2026
Wed, Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 pm - Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 2:00 pm CT
Sheraton Chicago Grand Riverwalk
301 East North Water Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States (US)
About the Event
The Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA) cordially invite you to its 2026 Spring Fundraiser Luncheon Festivities which will include a series of events April 15-16, 2026. On April 15, 2026 BWLA’s Corporate Counsel Committee will host a 1/2 Day CLE Program and then a General Counsel Reception that evening at BWLA Title Sponsor Jones Day’s Chicago Office. On April 16, 2026, the BWLA Spring Fundraiser Luncheon will be held at the beautiful Sheraton Grand Riverwalk Chicago.
During the luncheon, BWLA will be awarding our spring law student scholarships that include the Bar Review, Agnes B. McGirth, and our Spring Essay. Please join us in this important celebration.
April 15, 2026 – Corporate Counsel CLE Seminar – 12:00-5:25 pm
To begin the celebration, BWLA’s Corporate Counsel Committee will host a half-day CLE seminar on April 15, 2026 from 12:00-5:25 pm at Jones Day’s Chicago office. Lunch will be from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. For the CLE Seminar, the CLE panel sessions will include 4.0 CLE hours and be on the following topics:
- The GC’s Risk Calculus: Regulatory change, litigation exposure, and what’s keeping corporate legal leaders up at night.
- Healthy or Liable? Make America Healthy Again, Medicare/Medicaid reform, and the rise of food regulation.
- AI in Legal Practice: Bias, ownership, and risk—what general counsel need to know.
- Inside the Relationship: How litigators and in-house counsel partner to win.
General Counsels’ Reception – 5:30-8:00 pm
This reception is to be held at 5:30 pm hosted by Jones Day’s Chicago office. We will honor and celebrate Black women general counsels in Chicago and beyond. There will be an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. Reception entertainment will feature live music. Seminar registration includes admission to the general counsel’s reception. Tickets are also available for separate purchase. Come join us for a toast to our Black women general counsels.
April 16, 2026 – Spring Fundraiser Luncheon – 11:30 -2:00 pm
BWLA’s 2026 celebration will culminate with the main event: the 2026 BWLA Spring Fundraiser Luncheon “Enduring Legacy: Celebrating Excellence, Trailblazing Leadership, and Lasting Impact.” The luncheon will be hosted at the beautiful Sheraton Grand Riverwalk located at 301 E. North Water in Chicago. At the awards luncheon, we will honor and celebrate trailblazing leaders and organizations whose Enduring Legacy of excellence, service, and impact continues to shape the legal profession and beyond and inspire generations to come. We will also award scholarships to outstanding law students, as well as raise funds for future scholarships for students pursuing careers in the law. We hope you will join us or consider our sponsorship opportunities.
Location
Sheraton Chicago Grand Riverwalk
301 East North Water Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States (US)
Date and Time
Wed, Apr 15, 2026, 12:30 pm - Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 2:00 pm CT
Refund Policy
No refunds offered.
Organizer
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA)
Founded in 1987, the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (“BWLA”) is one of the fastest growing bar associations in Illinois. BWLA is representative of African-American female attorneys, judges, law professors and law students in the Chicago metropolitan area and across the Midwest. BWLA is committed to serving our membership, the greater legal community and the general public through educational programs, mentoring/networking opportunities, community outreach, scholarship awards to law students and various educational pipeline programs and initiatives. BWLA has recognized and rewarded notable African-American women attorneys and other civic leaders for their achievements and contributions to the legal community and society. Despite the hard-won achievements of some, barriers still exist for African-American women lawyers. African-American female lawyers still face the challenges brought on by the intersection of race and gender, including professional isolation, pay inequities, sexual harassment, and the glass ceiling. BWLA has been diligent and uncompromising in its commitment to addressing important issues that affect the lives of minority practitioners in the profession. BWLA is committed to promoting excellence in the profession and encouraging the inclusion of African-American attorneys in law firms, the judiciary, governmental agencies and corporations. BWLA recognizes that we live in an America that does not always embrace our differences. It is with this recognition that BWLA has committed its time and resources to encourage programming that supports diversity.Drawing upon the expertise and backgrounds of its membership, BWLA has developed programs and workshops to advance and assist African-American female lawyers in public and private practice, the judiciary and academia. Through building coalitions with other organizations, BWLA not only aims to address and combat the challenges that African-American female lawyers face in the profession, but through its programming and diversity initiatives, BWLA also brings about positive change in the legal workplace.
Order Confirmation
Organizer
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (BWLA)
Founded in 1987, the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. (“BWLA”) is one of the fastest growing bar associations in Illinois. BWLA is representative of African-American female attorneys, judges, law professors and law students in the Chicago metropolitan area and across the Midwest. BWLA is committed to serving our membership, the greater legal community and the general public through educational programs, mentoring/networking opportunities, community outreach, scholarship awards to law students and various educational pipeline programs and initiatives. BWLA has recognized and rewarded notable African-American women attorneys and other civic leaders for their achievements and contributions to the legal community and society. Despite the hard-won achievements of some, barriers still exist for African-American women lawyers. African-American female lawyers still face the challenges brought on by the intersection of race and gender, including professional isolation, pay inequities, sexual harassment, and the glass ceiling. BWLA has been diligent and uncompromising in its commitment to addressing important issues that affect the lives of minority practitioners in the profession. BWLA is committed to promoting excellence in the profession and encouraging the inclusion of African-American attorneys in law firms, the judiciary, governmental agencies and corporations. BWLA recognizes that we live in an America that does not always embrace our differences. It is with this recognition that BWLA has committed its time and resources to encourage programming that supports diversity.Drawing upon the expertise and backgrounds of its membership, BWLA has developed programs and workshops to advance and assist African-American female lawyers in public and private practice, the judiciary and academia. Through building coalitions with other organizations, BWLA not only aims to address and combat the challenges that African-American female lawyers face in the profession, but through its programming and diversity initiatives, BWLA also brings about positive change in the legal workplace.
