OUR PROGRAMS

New Title

Since becoming a licensed attorney in 2004, Joan D. Clay has always found ways to give back to underserved or underrepresented people. She began a career in public interest law in 2015 when she accepted a position running a mortgage foreclosure clinic as a visiting professor at law school in New York. She returned to Chicago in 2018 and was committed to staying in public interest law because she saw the enormous need and she honestly enjoys using her law degree to help others. 

2020 and COVID 19 gave Ms. Clay time to reflect on whether her work was feeding her passion to be of service to others. The Village Legal and Community Project is the result of this reflection and Ms. Clay created a plan for an organization that addresses three basic needs in underserved communities: probono and sliding scale legal services, economic development and opportunities youths to explore their options to break cycles.