CHICAGO LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE
for Civil Rights
OUR MISSION
We are civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. We provide legal representation through partnerships with the private bar, and we collaborate with grassroots organizations and other advocacy groups to implement community-based solutions that advance civil rights.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
We are committed to the unfinished business of our nation’s civil rights movement.
1966
2019
We believe in the POWER of the LAW to uplift and give voice to those individuals, organizations, and communities most impacted by poverty and racial disparity, including racial and ethnic groups, religious minorities, women, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities.
Our vision is to ROOT OUT and DISMANTLE deeply entrenched systems of discrimination, racism, and economic oppression.
WHAT WE DO
Identify and disrupt the patterns of discrimination that hinder community success.
Through longstanding partnerships with member law firms, we provide high-quality legal assistance to clients and communities in litigation and transactional matters.
We collaborate with community leaders, advocacy organizations, and attorneys to craft and implement community-based solutions and policy reform.
Our current legal practice areas focus on education, housing, voting and civic empowerment, public safety, and community economic development.
We use a broad range of advocacy tools that include:
Direct legal services
Impact litigation
Policy advocacy
Community education
Coalition building
OUR CORE VALUES
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Partnerships are central to the success of our mission. Our collaboration with law firms and individual attorneys, grass roots groups, educational institutions, and other advocacy organizations is vital to our ability to secure successful legal outcomes, and strengthens our capacity to help clients and communities achieve their broader social justice goals.
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By listening and providing information, tools, and legal support, we strengthen communities’ capacities to advocate for themselves on the issues they identify as priorities.
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Recognizing the broad reach of discrimination, we challenge oppressive practices, advocate for expanded access to opportunity, and promote the fair allocation of resources so that everyone has a chance to succeed.
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By matching clients with attorneys, we increase the likelihood of successful outcomes in individual matters, and develop high impact advocacy strategies to address underlying policies, practices, systems, and structures that perpetuate poverty and racial disparities.
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In a constantly changing environment, we utilize a multi-faceted advocacy tool box to develop solutions for today’s most pressing civil rights challenges. We work with clients and community leaders to craft the “right strategy at the right time” to secure the outcomes they seek.
The four pillars of our STRATEGIC PLAN
The four pillars of our STRATEGIC PLAN
Break unjust systems and structures to create racial equity and economic opportunity.
Center the priorities of communities of color as a driving force for our work.
Model our race equity mission and organizational values in our internal culture and structure.
Inspire supporters to build a powerful resource engine that drives our impact.
Meet the PEOPLE behind the work:
See our LEGAL AID programs:
Learn about our ADVOCACY efforts:
