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HomeExec Committees

Committees of the Board of Directors of NELA-Illinois

Please e-mail any board member if you are interested in serving on a committee.



Executive Committee

Gail S. Eisenberg, Thalia Pacheco, Amit Bindra, Charlie Wysong, Matthew Singer, and Max Barack

Officers are President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer & Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Immediate Past President.

Collectively, the six Officers shall constitute the Executive Committee.


Budget
Charlie Wysong

In conjunction with the Treasurer and Secretary, the Budget Committee assists with NELA-IL annual budgeting process, including by assisting with soliciting proposed budgets from Committee Chairs, reviewing budgets against annual expenditures, and helping prepare the organization’s annual proposed budget for evaluation and approval by the Board.


Communications

Amit Bindra, Max Barack

The Communications committee handles our outreach to the community, including our new podcast, Employee to Lawyer, which is an employment law podcast discussing the policies, regulations, and laws that affect our workplaces. It is also responsible for the general marketing and branding of NELA-Illinois, including the listserv and the website.
  1. Podcast: Amit Bindra, Max Barack
  2. Social Media: Matt Singer
  3. Media Relations: Sarah Arendt


Judicial

Rafael Lazaro, Amit Bindra

The Judicial Committee evaluates judicial nominees, and takes other actions, in order to ensure a balanced judiciary committed to equal protection under the law for all.


Legislative/Agency

Josie Raimond

The Legislative Committee advocates for policies and legislation beneficial to Illinois employees and the work of our members in litigating on their behalf. Specifically, committee members draft and pursue the passage of legislative proposals designed to help workers and work in tandem with other likeminded groups and workers’ rights organizations in service of the same. The Committee partners with allied groups in supporting their legislative efforts to advance worker-friendly legislation in the General Assembly. The Committee also communicates with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and other administrative agencies in Illinois to encourage better practices and policies and enlists the support of legislators in these efforts.



Membership

Jacqueline Villanueva

The Membership Committee is focused on recruiting new members for NELA-Illinois, and retaining current members. The Committee oversees NELA-Illinois’s annual membership drive, which generally runs during August and September, as well as other membership events. The Committee, through the Student Subcommittee, also handles law school coordination and student events.
 

Practice Resources

Rafael Lázaro

On an ad hoc basis, the Practice Resources committee helps NELA-Illinois members with substantive practice-related issues, such as coordinating mock oral arguments, mock trials and/or brainstorming sessions, as well as business practice-related issues relating to operating small law offices. Additionally, the committee entertains and evaluates requests that NELA-Illinois author or join amicus briefs from members and non-members.


Professional Development Committee
Thalia Pacheco, Joseph Garcia

The Professional Development committee coordinates seminars and other learning events, including the annual Seventh Circuit conference, Lunch and Learns held monthly and joint programs with other bar association and coordinates the CLE credit process for appropriate events. Some of these programs are available by following this link (CLE not available).


Amicus

Matt Singer  


Jury Instructions

Alejandro Caffarelli and Rima Kapitan  


Social

Renu Thamman and Chiquita Hall-Jackson


Law Student Committee

Charlotte Wagner
The Student Subcommittee encourages, facilitates, monitors and reports on initiatives to support NELA student engagement efforts; encourage student membership through outreach to law schools; and increase the development of planning tools and resources made available to the student community through NELA website and other resources.


Past Presidents’ Council

Max Barack

The Past Presidents’ Council is a forum consisting of the living past presidents of NELA-Illinois who are a valuable resource for experience and knowledge.