FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Edward W. Feldman, Board Chair
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc.
Telephone Number: 312-263-3700
Fax Number: 312-630-1127
E-mail Address: efeldman@millershakman.com
Website: www.clccrul.org

Announcing the Death of Former Executive Director, Clyde E. Murphy

Chicago, IL, August 18, 2010 – It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of recent and  longtime Executive Director Clyde E. Murphy.  We learned today that Mr. Murphy passed away suddenly at home on August 17, 2010.  As the head of the public interest law consortium of Chicago’s leading law firms, Mr. Murphy led the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for 15 years through a period of expansion and the implementation of new programs, promoting and protecting the civil rights of the poor, minorities and the disadvantaged.

Betsy Shuman-Moore, Director of the Committee’s fair housing and bias violence projects said, “Clyde was a profoundly committed civil rights lawyer who fiercely championed for the poor, marginalized and victims of discrimination.  Fairness and equal opportunity embodied his life’s work. Although he loved a righteous argument, he was a kind and gentle soul. We will miss his integrity, sense of justice, passion, and intelligence. ” Edward Feldman of  Miller Shakman & Beem, LLP, who serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Lawyers Committee said, “we were deeply saddened to learn of Clyde’s sudden passing.  The Death of Former Executive Director, Clyde E. Murphy  Board appreciates the 15 years of leadership that Clyde provided.  The civil rights community has lost a stalwart.”

Prior to his tenure with the Committee, Mr. Murphy served as a lawyer and executive for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a post he held for 19 years.  At the Fund, Mr. Murphy developed an extensive federal civil rights practice, including trial, appellate, and U.S. Supreme Court litigation in the areas of employment discrimination, affirmative action, police misconduct and voting rights.  From 1990-1995, Mr. Murphy was the Fund’s Deputy Director-Counsel and Director of its Voting Rights Project.  Mr. Murphy's background in civil rights litigation and non-profit administration was complemented by his extensive experience as a lecturer on litigation for social change and legal analysis of civil rights issues.  Mr. Murphy was a graduate of Yale University and received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law.

Mr. Murphy leaves his wife, Monica, a son, Jamal, and two daughters, Akua and Naima.  Services are pending.

Chicago Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. Mission Statement

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee maintains a focus in a broad range of civil rights and economic justice matters, including: hate crime prevention and response; employment discrimination litigation; affordable housing development efforts, fair housing complaints and fair mortgage-lending advocacy and litigation; and support for a broad range of economic development activity in Chicago, including free legal services to individuals using small businesses/micro-enterprises as strategies to achieve self-sufficiency.

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Inc. is the public interest law consortium of Chicago's leading law firms. From nineteen firms in 1969, the Chicago Lawyers' Committee has grown to forty-five member firms today. Each year, over 15,000 hours of donated professional legal services, with a value of over $3 million are directed to civil rights issues by the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee.

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee enforces fair housing laws and works to preserve affordable housing, advocates for the rights and interests of poor children, works to improve the ability of Chicago's Public School system to meet the needs of its 89% minority student population, and represents victims of hate crimes. It focuses on the reduction of barriers to opportunity and the promotion of efforts which increase the capacity of individuals to access and sustain employment. The Committee also provides transactional legal services to community-based organizations working in the areas of housing and community and economic development, to entrepreneurs creating minority owned businesses in disadvantaged communities and to first-time low-income home buyers moving out of federal rental assistance housing and into their own homes using Housing Choice Vouchers. The program philosophy of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee recognizes that locally-based efforts that empower minority communities with the capacity for self-sufficiency are critical to the development of safe and stable urban communities. To learn more about the continuing commitment of Chicago's leading law firms to pro bono service to the community, please read the message (136 KB) from the former Executive Director, Clyde E. Murphy, and former Board Chairs, Eric J. Gorman and Myles D. Berman.

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee has four major projects: the Employment Opportunity Project; the Community Economic Development Law Project; the Fair Housing Project; and the Project to Combat Bias Violence. To learn more about these projects and the work of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee, please see the Projects section. For recent announcements and press releases, go to the Press Kit section.

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee focuses on impact litigation where successful results will remove structural barriers and open up opportunities to significant numbers of individuals who previously were denied those opportunities. If you believe your civil rights have been violated, or to find our how to make a tax-deductible contribution, you are encouraged to contact the Chicago Lawyers' Committee. If you are an attorney looking for meaningful, challenging, and high-profile pro bono opportunities, check the member list and see if your firm is a member of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee.