Volunteerism is in LCBH’s DNA.
Forty years ago, 10 volunteer attorneys, guided by a vision of greater housing justice, devoted their free time to advocating for renters seeking to improve building conditions in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Through their work, LCBH was born.
Today, though our team has more than tripled in size, our work still hinges on the pro bono attorneys who volunteer with our organization. Without them, LCBH could not have grown out of Rogers Park and into all of Chicago. That’s why I dedicate this post to some of LCBH’s remarkable volunteers and their work during the last two years.
I also hope you’ll celebrate them with me in person at our 40th Anniversary Celebration on October 13th, 2022.
I’m excited to announce Neal, Gerber, & Eisenberg (NGE) will receive this year’s Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award at our 40th Anniversary Celebration. Unlike previous winners, we recognize NGE for their incredible work representing our organization in 2021.
Last fall, our client Brenda was duped into signing a lease by someone claiming to be a landlord. To make matters worse, she prepaid two months’ rent and a security deposit to this fraudster. The property was actually a bank-owned unit recently in foreclosure. When the bank learned Brenda was living there, they tried to remove her. Through conversations with the opposing counsel, Brenda, who was unrepresented at the time, was led to believe her only option was to “agree” to an eviction order. All of this took place at the height of the pandemic and while there was supposed to be a moratorium on court evictions.
Believing the system that was supposed to protect Brenda failed her, LCBH attorneys agreed to take the case. The trial court not only refused to vacate the eviction order but imposed sanctions (and a fine!) on LCBH attorneys for bringing the motion.
This ruling, if allowed to stand, would have a chilling effect across the many legal aid agencies who zealously represent low-income clients, and rely on what their clients tell them. NGE represented LCBH in appealing the sanctions order and got it reversed! The appellate court agreed with us on the law—and just as important, believed our client on the facts—in reversing the sanctions order.
NGE’s pro bono service not only allows our attorneys to continue zealously representing tenants, but also resulted in a published opinion addressing disparities between bargaining positions of landlords and unrepresented renters, which will benefit future renters in court.
For these reasons, and the other exceptional pro bono work they do, I can think of no one more fitting for this year’s award.
NGE’s pro bono work wasn’t the only service with a lasting impact on renters last year. Beginning last fall, LCBH undertook a large-scale effort to seal old eviction records in response to a new, temporary Illinois law that made it easier for tenants to seal old eviction cases.
The immediate need for this service before the law sunset in August was far too immense for our team of 20 staff attorneys. In fact, at times waitlists for our community-based clinics reached more than 400 people.
That’s where our pro bono attorney partners came in.
Over the last nine months, 165 volunteer attorneys helped LCBH serve more than 670 renters in person and through Rentervention.com. Many of these renters needed assistance with multiple records. Overall, the Rentervention app assisted tenants with more than 1,000 cases.
The sweeping impact of this project could not have been accomplished without inter-team collaboration at LCBH, the support of our community partners, and the help of our tremendous volunteer attorneys.
You can learn more about our sealing project and our next steps in our LCBH Eviction Sealing Project Report.
If all the outstanding volunteerism listed above isn’t enough reason to join us at our 40th Anniversary Celebration in just two weeks’ time, we are also recognizing Shiva Kooragayala and Claire Battle, two other volunteers who have contributed so much to LCBH and our clients.
Connect with me, our volunteers, current staff, board, and more at Buddy Guys on October 13th from 5:30-8:30. You’ll also hear a huge announcement you don’t want to miss!
Don’t forget to buy your early bird tickets before the price increases October 1st. I can’t wait to see you there!