Legal Action Chicago (“Legal Action”) is a non-profit organization with a mission to change laws and systems to help Illinois residents living in poverty. We further this mission by challenging unjust policies and supporting measures to improve quality of life and chances for upward mobility. We partner closely with Legal Aid Chicago (“Legal Aid”), which is the largest provider of free legal services to individuals in Cook County. While Legal Aid works on behalf of individual clients to address challenges affecting low-income residents of Cook County, Legal Action uses class action litigation, legislative advocacy, and policy initiatives to tackle obstacles affecting larger groups and communities of people throughout Illinois.

Legal Action uses litigation and policy advocacy to solve systemic problems across a wide range of practice areas, including children and families, consumer rights, immigrants and workers’ rights, housing, and public benefits. Some of Legal Action’s recent litigation accomplishments include stopping CHA from over-charging rent to low and no-income tenants, obtaining historic low-income discount rates for gas, electricity, and water services in Illinois, and winning class certification in a landmark case to recover home equity lost through Cook County’s property tax sale process.

Our policy efforts are primarily focused on working with lawmakers in Chicago, Cook County, and Springfield who create budgets, draft, amend, and repeal laws. Legal Action also monitors public comment opportunities on state rulemaking and other state administrative actions, while coordinating our advocacy with community- and policy-oriented partners. In 2025, Legal Action played a key role in many successful policy initiatives, including restricting civil arrests around courthouses (including by ICE), taking firearms away from domestic abusers subject to orders of protection, prohibiting landlords from naming minors as defendants in eviction proceedings, and protecting individuals from being held liable for financial debts incurred through threats, fraud, or abuse.

Fellows will provide support on litigation and policy advocacy through legal and policy research, drafting memoranda and court filings, participation in meetings with staff, coalition partners, and stakeholders, and attending court proceedings.

This agency is approved to host Graduate Fellows.