Executive Director

Alan started volunteering at UPLC in 1979 while attending Northwestern University School of Law. He served as a staff attorney for two years, and became Legal Director in 1992. In 2014, Alan was appointed UPLC’s Executive Director. Under his leadership, UPLC has developed the largest docket in the state of Illinois of civil rights cases filed on behalf of Illinois prisoners. UPLC currently has seven pending class action cases protecting Illinois prisoners’ civil rights.

Legal Director

Nicole become the Legal Director in June 2020. She joined UPLC as an Attorney in 2011. She coordinates our Social Security Program, handles most of UPLC’s tenants’ rights cases, and works on our prisoners’ rights cases. She graduated from Boston University Law School.

Director of Development & Communications

Megan holds a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Marketing Management from North Park University. She is an activist and community organizer, and has worked at UPLC since January 2015.

Prisoners' Rights Coordinator / Investigator

UPLC Prisoners’ Rights Coordinator, Brian Nelson, is a former prisoner. He spent 23 years in solitary, including 12 consecutive years at Tamms supermax prison. He has been at UPLC since 2011. Brian records and responds to over 100 letters from prisoners every week, and works with individuals and community groups who have loved ones in prison.

Office Coordinator

Toni has been at UPLC for over 25 years. She serves as the Office Coordinator, provides information and referrals to clients, and performs legal intakes. Toni has lived in Uptown for many years.

Attorney

Bridget joined UPLC in 2020. After graduating from the George Washington University Law School, she spent the first 8 years of her career as a public defender, representing clients in both trials and appeals. She works primarily on UPLC's prisoners' rights cases.

Attorney

Sarah joined UPLC in September 2019 after her graduation from Harvard Law School. Her work focuses on providing direct service to incarcerated women in Illinois, ensuring that their needs are addressed in our ongoing and future litigation.

Attorney

A graduate of Loyola University-Chicago School of Law, Gerald joined UPLC in October 2019 as the Medical-Legal Partnership Coordinator. In addition to providing direct service to our clients, Gerald works with neighboring organizations to ensure community members have access to necessary medical and legal services.

Attorney

Charlie is an Equal Justice Works Fellow. His work focuses on tenants' rights and the Just Housing Amendment. He coordinates community meetings and Know Your Rights trainings with low-income tenants in Uptown. Charlie graduated fromNorthwestern Pritzker School of Law in 2020.

Attorney

Danielle joined UPLC in September 2020 after her graduation from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Her work focuses on advocating for and litigating on behalf of individuals incarcerated in Illinois prisons. She is a Northwestern Barry McNamara Public Interest Fellow.

Paralegal

musa joined UPLC in February 2019. He conducts research, processes medical records, performs legal intakes and assists the office attorneys with medical summaries, legal briefs, as well as administrative tasks. musa graduated from the University of Chicago in 2018.

Paralegal

Melissa began at UPLC in February 2019. She conducts research, processes medical records, performs legal intakes and assists the office attorneys with medical summaries, legal briefs, as well as administrative tasks. Melissa graduated from Northeastern Illinois University in 2018.

Paralegal

Lauren joined UPLC in 2020 thanks to the support of the Baum Family Foundation. She conducts research, processes medical records, performs legal intakes and assists the office attorneys with medical summaries, legal briefs, as well as administrative tasks. Lauren graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2020.

Development Assistant

Brittney joined UPLC in 2020 after having interned in the Prisoners Rights Program. She now assists with fundraising, social media management and financial bookkeeping. Brittney graduated from the University of Chicago in 2020.