Dear All,
It is with sincere gratitude for his years of dedication and leadership that I share the news of CARPLS longtime Executive Director Al Schwartz’s planned retirement in June of 2028. Unsurprisingly, Al has thoughtfully provided a long runway – ensuring a smooth transition.
CARPLS’ revolutionary legal triage model was honed and expanded under Al’s leadership. In the past 33 years, CARPLS has gone from a single hotline providing 6,000 legal consultations annually to providing over 90,000 legal consultations across five hotlines and four court-based advice desks serving residents of Cook County and Illinois. Through numerous partnerships with community organizations, and collaborations across Cook County and the State, CARPLS’ reach is strong and growing.
A hallmark of Al’s leadership has been a commitment to constant evolution. “Innovation is part of our DNA,” Al recently reminded us. “We are constantly looking for ways to make our services more accessible and more impactful.” In that spirit, we celebrate CARPLS’ past, present, and future. Al has led CARPLS with thoughtful purpose, investing in people and growing the team to more than 60 attorneys and paralegals. We are tremendously grateful for his lasting impact on CARPLS and the field of legal aid.
There is much to come in the next two years, but we look forward to celebrating Al for his incredible legacy at CARPLS.
With appreciation for your support,
Amy Van Gelder
President, Board of Directors
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
