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.

Attorney

Ashley joined UPLC in September 2022 as a staff attorney. Her work focuses on tenants’ rights and the Just Housing Amendment. She coordinates know-your-rights trainings and community meetings with low-income tenants in Chicago. Ashley graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2022.

Attorney

Emily joined UPLC in January 2023 as a staff attorney. Her work is focused on prisoners' rights. She previously completed a fellowship at another legal nonprofit focused on reproductive health care access for imprisoned people. Emily graduated from NYU Law in 2020.

Attorney

Madison joined UPLC in September 2022. Before graduating from Notre Dame Law School, Madison was awarded the Thomas L. Shaffer Public Interest Fellowship. Her work focuses on prison litigation, specifically, monitoring cases ensuring that people with mental illnesses in prison are receiving appropriate mental health care

Attorney

Ian joined UPLC as an Equal Justice Works fellow in September 2022. He works on the Pre-Release Enrollment Project, which helps soon-to-be released imprisoned people in Illinois qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Ian graduated from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in 2022.

Paralegal

Sofia joined UPLC in October 2022. Their work focuses primarily on Social Security disability benefits, where they support clients through initial and reconsideration applications, conduct research, perform legal intakes, process medical records, and support attorneys at the hearing level. Sofia graduated from the University of Chicago in August 2020.

Paralegal

Leah joined UPLC in April 2022. She conducts research, processes records, performs legal intakes, and assists the office attorneys with legal briefs as well as administrative tasks. Leah graduated from UIUC in May 2022, with a Master’s degree in library and information science, and is a proud Rogers Park resident.

Administrative Assistant

Reb joined UPLC in April 2022. They provide administrative support to the Executive Director, which helps keep UPLC operating efficiently. Reb holds a B.A. in Political Science from Concordia University, and a Certificate in Paralegal Studies from Tulane University.

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 lived in Uptown for many years.