Legal Aid Nonprofit Rebrands As It Expands On North Shore

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Over the first four years since its founding, the Highland Park–Highwood Legal Aid Clinic has expanded its service area and multiplied the number of people it has provided free legal assistance. The nonprofit now provides pro bono help to people in three North Shore townships, and it announced Wednesday it is changing its name to the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic to reflect its growth.

Executive Director Susan Shulman said the clinic has seen steady growth in the number of people it has served and plans on continued expansion. It has grown from helping 70 people in 2015, the year of its founding, to more than 550 cases in 2018.

"Our vision is to now provide high-quality legal services through outstanding attorneys, as we can, to more of Lake County and Cook County," Shulman said.

The clinic opened in May 2015 at the former firehouse at 1830 Green Bay Road after a 2013 human services task force identified quality, affordable legal services to assist with issues related to immigration, housing and domestic violence as a need in the Highland Park and Highwood communities.

It got started with the help of a $5,000 grant from the city of Highland Park and was founded by its mayor, Nancy Rotering, who serves as the honorary chair of the clinic's board of directors, while city attorney and board member Steve Elrod was the group's first secretary and treasurer.

The clinic connects qualifying community members to volunteer attorneys who provide pro bono services with support from the organization. It will generally work with those who are at or below 250 percent of the federal poverty level, equating to an annual household income of about $60,000 for a family of four. It provides legal services to clients regardless of their immigration status.

When it began, the clinic's services were restricted to those that lived in Highland Park or Highwood. Soon, it also offered help to those who worked in the two Moraine Township communities. In November 2017, it expanded its service area to neighboring West Deerfield Township. In late 2018, the clinic extended it again to cover New Trier Township. As of today, qualifying residents and workers in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Lake Forest, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka are covered.

The group also helps people outside of the geographic service area as capacity allows, as well as off-site workshops when invited by community organization and clinics at local senior living facilities, according to Shulman. She said a name change was the best way for the organization to reflect its growth and expansion with the larger north suburban community.

The clinic works on behalf of immigrants who have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. as well as people who are living here illegally. As a result, it does not receive any federal funding from the government-backed Legal Services Corporation, which supports many legal aid groups but restricts services that can be provided to people who do not have legal status.

The clinic now has a staff of seven, plus an Americorps fellow, and more than 80 volunteers, including attorneys and other community members, according to Shulman.

David Neiman, chairman of the clinic's 14-member board, said the name change and expansion was a positive sign of progress.

“We look forward to strategically meeting the ever changing needs of individuals and the greater community as we expand capacity, services offered, and geographic locations," Neiman said in a release announcing the re-branding. "The fact that we have been able to take this next step in just a few years is a sign of success and promise.”

The clinic's offices will remain at 491 Laurel Ave., across the street from the Highland Park Public Library. The organization is celebrating its fourth anniversary on May 9 at Greenwood Restaurant, 200 Green Bay Road, Highwood.

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