North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic expands housing law practice

The North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic has added two staff members to help people challenged with housing issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attorney Jenny Terrell will join the growing Housing Law Practice team. Challenges for individuals and families related to the pandemic have caused a surge in housing cases with a sharp increase in cases related to eviction.

Jenny comes to the clinic with a passion for community-based work that advances racial justice. She most recently served as a Skadden Fellow and later Program Counsel at Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights as part of the Voting Rights Project, where she focused on ensuring racial equity in Illinois and Indiana voting practices. Before her fellowship, Jenny served as a staff law clerk in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Jenny has worked in several community-based nonprofits providing direct services in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Born and raised in Chicago, her first foray into community-based movements was as a high schooler organizing with the Albany Park Neighborhood Council, now Communities United.

Jenny graduated summa cum laude from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and received her B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University.

The clinic also has hired Lesley Rodriguez of Highwood to serve as the Housing Community Navigator, focusing on community outreach with specific attention to addressing the eviction crisis.

Lesley has served as the Grinnell College Student Educational Policy Committee co-chair for the Spanish Department and as a community adviser. Lesley volunteered in college for Crecemos Unidos, a local student-mentoring program that works to support educational equity through mentorship, empowerment, and enrichment. She holds a B.A. in Spanish with a policy studies concentration from Grinnell College.

• ABOUT NORTH SUBURBAN LEGAL AID CLINIC: Mayor Nancy Rotering founded the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic on May 1, 2015. The Clinic provides accessible, quality pro-bono legal services in the areas of immigration, domestic violence, and housing to give those in need access to justice and the opportunity to live productive and secure lives. The Clinic is U.S. Bureau of Immigration Affairs accredited for legal work in immigration law. The Clinic does not receive funding from the Legal Services Corporation, allowing all clients, regardless of immigration status, to be served. This significantly distinguishes the Clinic from other regional legal aid clinics. The Clinic is at 491 Laurel Ave., Highland Park. For details, visit NSLegalAid.org.