Posted by The CBAY Awards were created during the 2024–2025 bar year by Past President John Sciaccotta to personally recognize and say thank you to the people who made his bar year extraordinary.
President Judge Nichole C. Patton continued this tradition by presenting the 2025-2026 bar year CBAY Awards on May 20, 2026. This blog post is the second in a series of posts highlighting the winners of the CBAY Awards.
EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AWARDS
The Excellence in Leadership awards recognize the individuals and law firms whose leadership, service, and generosity have defined this bar year and strengthened this Association.
The John C. Sciaccotta Legacy Award
The John C. Sciaccotta Legacy Award, originally named the CBA Legacy Award, is presented to an individual whose sustained contributions to the legal profession and the administration of justice have left an enduring mark on this Association and the community it serves.
A CBA Member since 1988, John C. Sciaccotta has served as Treasurer, Second Vice President, and First Vice President before ascending to the presidency — a career of service to this institution spanning more than three decades. During his bar year, John made sure this Association showed up — for every bar association, at every table, in every room that mattered. He launched a national ADR symposium, a health and wellness program for lawyers and judges, a Judicial Security Forum to protect the independence of the judiciary, and a Domestic Violence Summit. And then there is the initiative that may be his most enduring: the planning of The Chicago Bar Association National Legal History Museum and Educational Center — the first of its kind in Chicago. A museum dedicated to the history of the law and the people who shaped it. It is only right that the inaugural recipient of the award that bears his name is the man who made it possible, congratulations to John C. Sciaccotta.
CBA Lawyer of the Year Award
The CBA Lawyer of the Year Award is presented to an attorney whose outstanding legal accomplishments, professional integrity, and meaningful contributions to the Chicago legal community exemplify the highest standards of the legal profession.
This year’s recipient has been a pillar of this Association in ways that most members never see. Since 2013, he has served as General Counsel to The Chicago Bar Association, providing pro bono legal counsel to the institution with the same excellence and dedication he brings to every client. Thirteen years of showing up for this Association, quietly, consistently, and without recognition. He is a Partner at Jenner and Block, one of the nation’s most prestigious law firms. He has generously given his time and expertise to ensure that this Association is legally sound, well-guided, and protected.
Congratulations to Howard Suskin.
The Richard W. Culver, Donald J. Hubert & Ald. William J.P. Banks CBA Outstanding Mentor Award
Mentorship is not abstract. It is not a program or a pipeline. It is a specific person, at a specific moment, who sees something in a person that they cannot fully see in themselves – and who refuses to let that person settle for less than their potential. Three former presidents of this Association were honored as mentors.
John Sciaccotta – He mentored Judge Patton when she served as Vice President of The Chicago Bar Association. He was patient, strategic, generous with his time, and unfailingly honest. And when she became President, he did not disappear. He stayed. He has been a source of wisdom and counsel throughout the entire bar year.
Kevin Durkin – He served as CBA President in 2006 and 2007, and he has never stopped serving this Association or the people in it. He sponsored my presidential reception at the CLE Abroad program in Greece, ensuring that CBA members and guests experienced an evening worthy of this Association. Throughout the entire bar year, he provided counsel and support. Every president needs someone they can call at any hour.
Dan Kotin – He served as CBA President in 2016 and 2017 and followed in the footsteps of his own mentors — legendary CBA presidents Phil Corboy and Tom Demetrio. Kotin helped architect Judge Patton’s path to the presidency. He saw the road and helped her understand which steps to take, in which order, and why.
CBA President’s Circle Award
None of what the CBA accomplished this bar year would have been possible without the generosity of the law firms that believed in this presidency and in this Association. The CBA President’s Circle Award is an expression of gratitude to the top sponsors of the 2025–2026 bar year.
Through their sponsorship, our programs ran, our symposium was funded, and our members were served. We are proud to call these firms partners of The Chicago Bar Association.
Congratulations to the CBA President’s Awards Circle winners Kilpatrick Townsend, Levenfeld Pearlstein, Corboy Demetrio, Clifford Law Offices and Taft.