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Susan Shulman is the Executive Director of North Shore Legal Aid Clinic, located on Laurel Avenue across from Highland Park Library. She has spent her career in public interest law, law firms and the business world. Most recently, Susan was General Counsel and Director of Operations for Metrist Partners. Prior to joining Metrist Partners, Susan was the Pro Bono Initiative Director at the Public Interest Law Initiative. She received her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and is a graduate of Brandeis University with a B.A. in Economics. Just Sunday night the clinic was featured on CBS News! Five years ago, when the legal aid clinic began, it had only a couple people on staff and a budget of $60,000 working 70 cases. Now, with 14 people, over a million dollar budget and 7,000 cases, Susan said this proves the area was lacking such a service. The clinic's goal is for their clients to live a more productive and secure life. This can range from a woman no longer living in fear of abuse, to a person obtaining a visa or citizenship, or a family in fear of losing their residence due to no income during this pandemic. Most of the people they help are in Highland Park and Highwood. The clinic also works closely with the area police departments and their social workers in the event of domestic abuse. The number of domestic abuse cases is up 44% since the start of the pandemic. One in three women is a survivor of abuse. If hands of their abuser touch their throats during an abusive encounter, they are seven times more likely to be strangled. Partnering with the Vernon Hills library, domestic abuse victims can access help from the clinic by using bananabread.org, which provides privacy for them. If anyone walking by, it would look like they were looking up bread recipes. Should the clinic get a call in the middle of the night, there is someone on hand to take those calls. The first question they will ask is "are you safe?" From there, they can get them to a safe place and or arrange a time and place to talk. With the pandemic, the Hispanic community has been hit the hardest. They currently have 400 immigration and naturalization cases. From 1990 to 2009 the Hispanic population in Lake County grew 49%. With most resources for them in Chicago, there was the need for the same resources be made locally. Now, with high unemployment due to closed businesses due to COVID-19, an eviction moratorium is in place. It hasn't stopped landlords from trying to evict their tenants. Most of the clinic's staff are working remotely these days. With internet connectivity an issue for many of these people, many of the clinic's lawyers connect with their clients by phone. If there is any filing or court appearances, the Lake County Clerk and Courthouse have enabled e-filing for cases and Zoom meetings for trials and hearings. When it comes to the clinic's budget, they receive a federal grant and one from the state. They also receive donations from the Highland Park Community Foundation and other organizations such as ours. They do hold a few fundraisers through the year as well. Susan told the Club that their fundraising efforts are almost on target with last year despite the pandemic. The one area they are uncertain of is the funding from the state. |
