Strengthening Community Justice: Site Visits to Uptown People’s Law Center & Legal Aid Chicago

By Richard Luong, senior director of development at Equal Justice Works 

I recently joined Equal Justice Works CEO Verna Williams, Network Manager Leeja Patel, and other Equal Justice Works staff in the privilege of visiting two remarkable host organizations in Chicago: Uptown People’s Law Center (UPLC) and Legal Aid Chicago. Both expand access to justice through frontline legal work—and both reminded us why our collective efforts matter now more than ever. 

Uptown People’s Law Center: Meeting the Evolving Needs of the Uptown Community

Nestled in one of Chicago’s most diverse neighborhoods, UPLC has been a cornerstone of community-based legal advocacy since its founding in 1975. Originally established to help disabled coal miners secure black lung benefits, it has evolved into a legal clinic with deep expertise in prisoners’ rights, tenants’ rights, and a Social Security disability practice. 

During our visit, we head from Executive Director, Kate Walz, about their class-action work challenging solitary confinement in Illinois prisons. For years they’ve litigated cases like Davis v. Jeffreys, advocating for incarcerated individuals confined in isolation for months – even years – as part of a broader national campaign. Their legal team, supported by pro bono partners, amplifies systemic reform through their work on these cases. 

In addition to impact litigation, UPLC prioritizes deep community connections—organizing bus trips for families to visit incarcerated loved ones, hosting community trainings on tenant and disability rights, and engaging deeply in grassroots advocacy.  

UPLC’s incoming Equal Justice Works Fellow will focus on investigating instances of custodial sexual assault & harassment reported by incarcerated women at Logan Correctional Center and coordinate pro bono lawyers to eliminate the pervasive culture of sexual abuse in Illinois’s main women’s prison. 

Legal Aid Chicago: Expanding Equal Justice Across Cook County

Next, we journeyed downtown to Legal Aid Chicago—a powerhouse legal aid provider that champions civil justice for low-income individuals across Cook County. As they note in their mission statement, “equal justice under law… must be the same in substance and availability, without regard to economic status.” 

We met with Katherine Shank, the CEO and Executive Director of Legal Aid Chicago; Deputy Director and General Counsel, Teresa Sullivan; and Barbara Bertini, the Director, Pro Bono and Community Partnerships. The  staff showed us how Legal Aid Chicago takes a comprehensive approach to tackling the most pressing issues facing its communities, including: preventing evictions and homelessness, aiding survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, securing benefits for veterans and seniors, combating consumer fraud, and advocating for children’s education rights.  

Legal Aid Chicago’s 32 legal clinics and court-based help desks serve as entry points for individuals confronting injustice. Their pro bono initiative enlists more than 1,000 volunteers, logging over 10,000 hours in 2023—showing how community partnership strengthens legal access. 

Legal Aid Chicago’s current and incoming Fellows have projects that focus on removing future barriers to education, employment and housing for Students; working with low-income families on tangled title and estate planning matters; family defense services to parents in or formerly in foster care; and eviction prevention. 

A Shared Vision for Chicago

Though their practices differ, UPLC and Legal Aid Chicago share a vision to bridge the justice gap through community-grounded advocacy, strategic lawyering, and systemic change. At UPLC, that can look like fighting solitary confinement and defending tenants in Uptown. At Legal Aid Chicago, that can mean supporting survivors, seniors, families, and workers across Cook County. Whether recruiting volunteers for pro se clinics or mobilizing families to support incarcerated loved ones—these host organizations demonstrate thoughtful, strategic approaches to closing the access to justice gap. 

Our site visits left us inspired and energized. The work at UPLC and Legal Aid Chicago underscores the potential of the design-your-own fellowship, where early-career attorneys create innovative and meaningful impact in underserved communities. We look forward to deepening our partnerships, supporting fellowships that embed attorneys in their groundbreaking work, and amplifying their success stories in the years ahead. 

To view a comprehensive list of Equal Justice Works host organizations, click here.