Category Archives: Past Events

Events that have already been run.

Health Care Power of Attorney and Why Students Need It – Thursday June 9, 2022

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The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, New Trier Township, and Winnetka Youth Organization are pleased to partner with attorney Adam Garber from Levenfeld Pearlstein to present Health Care Power of Attorney and Why Students Need It on Thursday, June 9, 2022, from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Winnetka Community House.

This health care Power of Attorney (POA) clinic is for parents/guardians of high school or college-age students with a permanent address in suburban Cook County and throughout Lake County. For questions email probono@nslegalaid.org.

After the presentation, parents and students can sign up for a free 45-minute consultation with an attorney at our POA clinic on Wednesday, August 3 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic Participates in Highland Park’s 13th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service

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North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic Participates in Highland Park’s 13th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service

 

The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic is pleased to join together with the community virtually on Monday, January 17 beginning at 10 AM for the 13th Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service event hosted by the City of Highland Park’s Human Relations Advisory Group and the Park District of Highland Park.

Know Your Rights & How To Be An Ally

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a fierce advocate for justice that included everyone and addressed all forms of threats to human dignity. The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic is a beacon of hope for those in need of access to justice. We urge individuals and families to be prepared and Know Your Rights and the public is encouraged to be an ally to those in need. Helpful information for all is available below.

All Are Welcome Here

Acts of racism and injustice are all too familiar and unacceptable. The safety and wellbeing of our clients and the communities that we serve remain our priority. We believe that our community is enriched by people of different backgrounds and cultures, and we are committed to building a culture of cooperation among diverse groups.

 

Show that you care by downloading and coloring this flyer. Place it in a prominent location (we suggest a front door or window) for all to see. Show us your art on social media by tagging the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with the hashtag #AccessToJustice

Example:

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

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 The Clinic has partnered with Judy’s Pizza for the month of February. Special thanks to the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic Regional Student Leadership Board for leading these special events in partnership with Judy’s!   

  • Round Up in February! – Judy’s Pizza will be asking guests to “round up” on their purchases for the whole month of February for proceeds to benefit the Clinic. 
  • Dine and Donate on February 5th! – Judy’s Pizza will be donating 20% of sales made on Saturday, February 5th to the Clinic.  
  • Cooking Demo to Save Lives on February 10th! – Special cooking demonstration on February 10th at 11 am with guest chefs from Judy’s pizza. The Clinic hosts free virtual cooking demonstrations with professional chefs on the second Thursday of every month. The Clinic invites anyone with questions about domestic violence to ask those questions to Clinic attorneys anonymously in the chat. The cooking demonstrations include a live chat, via RingCentral. No domestic violence content will be shown on the video. Guests can log on anonymously using an alias throughout the hour. No registration is required. Join the event here: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1489481392.

We are so thankful for our friends over at Judy’s Pizza in Highland Park (https://www.judyspizza.com/). Please show your support to the Clinic by supporting Judy’s in February!  

Teen dating violence is domestic violence. Teen dating violence is a pattern of behavior that includes physical, emotional, verbal, and/or sexual abuse by one person in an intimate relationship to exert power and control over another. Relationship violence can occur at school — in the hall, in the classroom, in the parking lot, on the bus or in a car, at after-school activities, at a student’s workplace, at a school dance, or at a student’s home. In teenage dating relationships, the abuse is often public with peers witnessing the abuse; however, the abuse can also occur in private.

It is fitting to think of February as a month of love, but what most may not realize is that it is also February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. It is important to educate teens about what is and is not a healthy relationship.

Some signs to watch for include:

  • Intensity – a relationship that develops extremely fast
  • Control or jealousy
  • Changes in Dress
  • Drastic behavior changes
  • Isolation
  • Constant communication with significant other
  • Ramifications for not responding in a timely manner

Help to raise awareness about teen dating violence and stop the abuse before it begins. This month we come together to raise awareness through advocacy and education to stop abuse before it starts. Need to know how to talk to your teen? Got questions of your own? Be in touch with the Clinic at info@NSLegalAid.org or 847 737 4042. All inquiries are strictly confidential. Love shouldn’t hurt.

Free Legal Clinic for Older Adults on September 24, 2021 at the North Shore Senior Center

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The Health Care Power of Attorney Document

Why Older Adults Need It

New Trier Township, the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, and the North Shore Senior Center are offering a free legal clinic for older adults on September 24, 2021, at the North Shore Senior Center, 161 Northfield Road in Northfield from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.

Volunteer attorneys will be on-site to assist participants with the preparation of a POA document and authenticate it with free notary public service.

Appointments are limited, please reserve your time via email info@NSLEGALAID.org or phone (847) 737-4042.

 

Eviction Prevention: Updates on the Moratorium, Eviction, and Rental Assistance Q&A – August 9 (Spanish) and August 11 (English)

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Eviction Prevention: Updates on the Moratorium, Eviction, and Rental Assistance Q&A – August 9 (Spanish) and August 11 (English)

As the Eviction Moratorium comes to an end, the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic is encouraging rental tenants to know their rights. Governor Pritzker  issued an executive order on July 23, 2021, that allows landlords to ask a court to evict both unprotected and protected tenants starting on August 1, 2021. Eviction orders will be allowed to be enforced after August 31, 2021.

 

The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic will be hosting presentations with Q&A regarding the Moratorium, the eviction process, and remaining rental assistance programs. Attorneys will be present to answer any legal questions.

 

We will host the sessions in Spanish and in English. We invite guests to join us via Ring Central.

 

 

Oportunidad especial - Prevención de desalojo: Actualizaciones sobre la moratoria, el desalojo y la asistencia para el alquiler Q&A - 9 de agosto a las 5 p.m.

 

A medida que finaliza la Moratoria de desalojo, se les recomienda a los inquilinos a informarse sobre cómo preparar y protegerse contra el desalojo. El gobernador Pritzker planea emitir una orden ejecutiva el 23 de julio que permitirá a los propietarios solicitar a un tribunal que desaloje tanto a los inquilinos desprotegidos como a los protegidos a partir del 1 de agosto. Después del 31 de agosto, se podrán hacerse cumplir las órdenes de desalojo.

 

La Clínica de Asistencia Legal North Suburban ofrecerá una presentación y una sesión de preguntas y respuestas cubriendo temas como la Moratoria, el proceso de desalojo y los programas restantes de asistencia para el alquiler. Los invitamos unirse a nosotros a través de Ring Central el lunes 9 de agosto de 2021 a las 5 p.m. para obtener más información sobre estos temas. La abogada Crystal Ochoa estará presente para responder cualquier pregunta legal. Los invitados pueden acceder a la reunión siguiendo este enlace: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/1462736903.

 

Durante esta presentación, cubriremos detalles sobre la eliminación gradual de la Moratoria de Desalojo, el proceso de desalojo y los programas de asistencia para el alquiler que aún están tomando aplicaciones. Únase a nosotros para una presentación y una sesión de preguntas y respuestas con una abogada acompañante.

Monthly Legal Aid Clinics Begin at New Trier Township

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The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic (the Clinic) will offer monthly, free legal aid clinics to low-income individuals and families beginning July 21, 2021. Clinics are virtual but individuals have the option to access meetings on Township computers at New Trier Township Hall located at 739 Elm Street in Winnetka.  Legal aid counselors will offer free, confidential services to clients in need of help with domestic violence, housing, and immigration matters from 10:00 a.m. until noon, the third Wednesday of each month. Appointments are required and can be made via SignUpGenius at www.NewTrierTownship.com or call the Township at (847) 446-8202 or the Clinic at (847) 737-4042.

“Recognizing the need to provide critical legal services where people live, we began a partnership with the Clinic in 2019 by offering immigration services and quickly expanded to offer domestic violence services. When the pandemic began, we immediately pivoted to virtual appointments to encourage legal professionals and those in need to make safety a priority by choosing to meet remotely whenever possible,” stated Township Supervisor Gail Eisenberg. “We know that accessible legal resources are the difference between surviving and thriving, especially as we emerge from the pandemic. We are pleased to bring back regularly scheduled clinics in a safe and accessible way while expanding them to include housing legal services, which is particularly important at a time when the eviction moratorium is expected to be phased out.”

“We are grateful to New Trier Township for their forward thinking, partnership, and deep understanding of the community that they serve. Working together, we can make equal justice under the law more than a lofty goal. We make it a reality,” stated Executive Director Susan Shulman.

For more information about New Trier Township visit www.NewTrierTownship.com.

New Trier Township’s mission is to provide leadership, advocacy and resources to benefit the physical, mental and social well being of Township residents. Established in 1850, New Trier Township government serves the 56,000 residents in the villages of Glencoe, Kenilworth, Wilmette and Winnetka, plus portions of Glenview and Northfield. The Township Office is located at 739 Elm Street in Winnetka or on-line at www.newtriertownship.com

Immigrant Heritage Month 2021

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June is dedicated to sharing the stories of the immigrants that make America what it is today and supporting diversity in our nation. Every family has an immigration story, or knows someone who is an immigrant. We sure do!

To celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month here are some immigration stories from our clients, staff, and volunteers.

Lia Kim-Yi

Director of Immigration Lia Hyunji Kim-Yi’s father was a college professor in South Korea. When her family arrived in the U.S. back in 1985, her father got a job as a deliveryman. When he realized his job couldn't support his wife and three children, he went back to South Korea to continue teaching. Her mom stayed behind to raise Lia and her siblings, while she worked 12-hour days at her own business. For almost 18 years Lia’s father sent back almost his entire salary to the family in the U.S. and only saw them during his vacations. When Lia passed the bar and called her father in South Korea, he cried and told her that she “made his American dream come true, and all those years apart were worth it.”

Esteban Carbajal

Esteban Carbajal is a Staff Attorney. This is his immigration story. “Both my parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico nearly forty years ago.  Each arrived with no more than a fourth-grade education because they came from very poor families that needed them to help contribute to the household income, even as children.  However, these unfortunate circumstances molded my parents into the hardest workers and most benevolent persons I have ever known.  Both have always been willing to sacrifice so much for the sake of others.  After immigrating to the U.S., my father worked twelve-hour shifts as a cook in numerous restaurants and my mom worked multiple jobs at the same time, ranging from housekeeper to seamstress, in order to provide for my sister and me.  Their demanding work schedules allowed for very little family time, but I always recognized it as a necessary sacrifice that my parents willingly bore without any complaints because of their dedication to us.  Their extraordinary work ethic and kindness were what motivated me the most in pursuing a law degree.  Today, I can proudly say that I have obtained my Juris Doctor degree and I will continue to follow my parents’ example by helping others.”

Daniel Schack

Daniel Schack is a member of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic’s Advocacy Committee. His grandfather escaped Nazi Germany. He watched his hometown of Munich burn on Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, he knew needed to leave. After heading first to England and then Australia, he finally ended up in Chicago. Like so many other refugees, Erich Schack owed his and his family’s lives to the willingness of others to take a chance on him. They made a good bet. Daniel’s grandparents built a business in which he and his two brothers now represent the fourth generation.

Miguel & Rosaura

Miguel was a North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic Client. We were honored to help him on his journey to become a new American. His father first came to the U.S. in 1985 with the hope of earning a better living to support our family of eleven back in Mexico. He settled in Colorado with a group of friends from his hometown and worked in agriculture picking various fruits. Seven years later, he joined him at the age of seventeen to help lessen the burden of supporting his large family. Together, they picked peaches, apples, and cherries during the warm months. During the winter months they would make apple juice. About three years later, he made his way to Illinois to reunite with the love of his life and now wife, Rosaura. The Clinic helped her to obtain her LPR status after living in the U.S. undocumented for 25 years. Together, they worked multiple jobs, made many sacrifices, and persevered through countless hardships to establish roots here, but they say, “it was all worth it. We had two beautiful daughters here and I finally became a U.S. citizen this year—something I never imagined when I first came here many years ago as a humble seventeen-year-old from a rural Mexican town. I am so appreciative of the many opportunities this country has provided my family and me, and I am especially proud of being able to say that I am a U.S. citizen.”

Susan Shulman

Executive Director Susan Shulman’s grandmother, Ruth Shulman (nee Liederman), was born in Leeds, England as her mother made her way from the Ukraine to Chicago to meet her husband.  When they arrived, Ruth’s father had already taken another wife.  Things were not easy for Ruth – her mother ended up in an asylum, and she grew up in different foster homes.  After her father kicked her out of the house at the age of 12, she worked at a department store in downtown Chicago.  Eventually, she ended up at the Yellow Truck and Coach Company, where she worked for a dashing manager named Louis Shulman.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Ramon

Ramon was a North Suburban Legal Aid client and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. In March of 2018, he came to us for help to petition his wife and fourteen-year-old stepson—both of whom lived in Mexico—for permanent resident status in the U.S.  Ramon and wife had been married for a little over a year by then and finally saved up enough money to pay the processing fees for their case.  The following month we submitted both petitions and by December of 2019 the U.S. Department of State had finished processing the cases.  Both cases were then placed in a queue for an interview at the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, which at the time was taking about one year to be scheduled.  Consequently, he was expecting that his wife and stepson would not be able to come into the U.S. until January of 2021. Around the same time the Department of State had notified us that processing of the cases had been completed, Ramon was visiting his wife and stepson in Mexico for the holidays.  While there he started to feel very sick and eventually had to be admitted into a hospital where it was discovered that he had cancer.  The doctors there advised him to return to the U.S. immediately for further evaluation and treatment.

Before returning to the U.S., Ramon contacted the Clinic to see if there was a way to get his wife and stepson into the U.S. sooner since he was worried that his condition could ultimately be fatal.  He wished to have them by his side for support and stated that he did not want to leave them without the opportunity to immigrate.  The Clinic prepared a letter to the Department of State explaining Ramon’s situation and sought to expedite the cases based on humanitarian reasons.  The Department of State granted our request and scheduled an interview for March 19, 2020.

However, two days before the interview the Department of State announced that all interviews would be canceled because of COVID-19.  Luckily, Ramon’s wife and stepson were granted an exception to still be seen because of the extenuating circumstances of their case.  They were interviewed on March 20th and approved for permanent residency the same day so they could be reunited with our client shortly afterward.

Ramon just completed his chemotherapy and says he is so grateful for the help we provided him so his family could be by his side during these difficult times.

Free Virtual Health Care Power of Attorney Clinic for Parents/Guardians of High School or College Age Students Who Are No Longer Minors

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The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic and the New Trier Township Community Forums partner with attorney Adam Garber from Levenfeld Perlstein to present The Health Care Power of Attorney Document – Why Students Need It on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. This free virtual health care Power of Attorney (POA) clinic is for parents/guardians of high school or college-age students with a permanent address in suburban Cook County and throughout Lake County. Registration in advance is required at info@NSLegalAid.org. A Zoom link and Power of Medical Attorney form will be sent upon event registration.

Notary services for newly issued POA documents are being provided free of charge by New Trier Township on Thursday, June 3, from 1:00 p.m. -3:30 p.m. at New Trier Township’s temporary site at the Village of Winnetka, 510 Green Bay Road (room TBD).

The Clinic’s Executive Director Susan Shulman and New Trier Township Supervisor Elect Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg have been working in conjunction on pro-bono legal assistance services for people facing domestic violence, immigration or housing law challenges since 2019. The Clinic is a grantee partner of the Township and is offering new services like the POA clinic to better serve residents.

A healthcare POA is a legal document that allows an individual to empower another person to make decisions about their medical care. A POA refers to both a legal document and a specific person with legal authority. The document can name the parent/guardian as the sole point of contact and decision-maker should the student become medically incapacitated.