Congratulations Keri!

Our Pro Bono Coordinator Keri Lindsay Dickinson and her husband Rich welcomed a new baby boy in May! Congratulations to the happy family; LCBH and our Pro Bono community send warm wishes their way! Keri will return in August to once again head our Pro Bono Program.

Welcome Summer Interns and New Volunteers

We are happy to announce the commencement of our Summer legal internship program. 6 legal interns joined our team in June and have already demonstrated a commitment to furthering the mission of LCBH through their superb work!

Summer Legal Interns:

Megan Burke, John Marshall Law School

Johanna Gaymer, University of Iowa College of Law

Osama Hamdy, University of Chicago Law School

Richard Madison, Chicago-Kent College of Law

Travis Moore, John Marshall Law School

Joey Scott, Depaul University College of Law, PILI

We are also pleased to have several new attorneys join us as volunteers in the Attorney of the Day Program.

AOD Volunteers:

Maya Ganguly, Solo Contract Attorney

Robert Negele, 711- Depaul University College of Law

Sean Mines, RP Supply Chain, Inc.

Joseph Gartner, Illinois Legal Aid Online

Benjamin Kailin, The Law Offices of Jacob J. Meister

Finally, we welcome two individuals to our Development and Paralegal departments.

Development 

Lauryn Burkhalter, Americorps/VISTA

Paralegal and Reception

Chloe Burke, University of Florida, volunteer

Through the work of these volunteers and interns, LCBH is able to provide the best possible services to our many tenant clients. We would like to thank these volunteers and interns for their time and commitment to LCBH.

Volunteer Spotlight

Nakea Anderson is a volunteer attorney who has been handling her own caseload three days a week since March 2011.   She currently has five open cases in various stages of litigation and is achieving remarkable results in eviction court.

Leah and Henry first came to LCBH after being served an eviction notice for non-payment of rent. Nakea's clients had repeatedly asked the landlord to fix problems in the apartment but the landlord refused to make any repairs. There was inadequate heat, missing locks on windows, substantial holes in walls, as well as cracked and leaking ceilings and a terrible rat and roach infestation problem. They continued to make partial rent payments of $500 in January and then decided to stop paying rent altogether in February. After being served the eviction notice, Nakea took the case.  In April, during a Use and Occupancy Hearing, Nakea successfully argued before a judge, getting Leah and Henry reduced payments -- from $650 to $440 a month. This was a significant achievement since judges usually only reduce payment by around $25 to $100 a month.

A trial date will be set following Discovery for the remainder of the eviction case. However, while this is taking place, Leah and Henry will by paying $210 less a month, thanks to the diligence and efforts of Nakea.

LCBH News

2010 Foreclosure Report 

LCBH Tenants in Foreclosure Intervention project has released its 2010 Report on Apartment Building Foreclosures, "Banks Avoid Foreclosure Laws, Uproot Renters: A Call for Enforcement of Tenant Protections."  This Report details the high rates of apartment building foreclosures throughout the City and highlights the Chicago community areas most drastically impacted. The Report provides further analysis of the illegal actions tenants face when their buildings go into foreclosure and ownership subsequently changes. Many Chicago tenants are illegally removed or coerced out of their tenancies and as a result face a myriad of consequences, often not acknowledged in foreclosure discussions. 

To view the report in its entirety, please visit www.lcbh.org.

Fair Housing Training

LCBH will be hosting a Fair Housing Training on Wednesday July 13, 2011 at 3pm. Kathy Clark, our Executive Director, will be training staff, volunteers and interns on Federal, State, and City Fair Housing Laws.

To RSVP for this event, please contact me at pfron@lcbh.org

Save the Date!

The Young Professionals Board is pleased to announce LCBH's 1st Annual Indoor Golf Invitational at Play18 Chicago. Please join us Wednesday night, August 24, 2011 at 5pm for a fun-filled (and air-conditioned!) night of team and individual indoor golf competition. Located centrally in the Loop, and equipped with 2 complete PGA Tour simulators and personal driving bays, this venue will be a great challenge for all levels of skill. Invitation coming soon!