Pursuing Justice Podcast Episode 39: Join host Alicia Aiken for a field trip to a pro bono clinic run by Katten and Legal Aid Chicago at the Jose De Diego School in Chicago. Listen in as attorneys tackle tricky questions on the spot and hear how the clinic helps dozens of clients with family law, evictions, expungements, and more.
Special thanks to Jonathan Baum, Allison Clark, Matt Doran, Adrian Jonak, Zach Schmitz, and Brett Wilson of Katten; Thomas Burnett, Niki Hua, and Alena Prcela of Northwestern Law School; and Melissa Bartolomei, Melissa Picciola, Tara Carone, and Jordan Sundt of Legal Aid Chicago.
This podcast provides a behind-the-scenes exploration of pro bono and public interest legal work. These heartening stories are told from both clients’ and lawyers’ perspectives to showcase intimate portraits of lawyers helping those with limited access to justice.
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.
FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
Katten Legal Clinic
The Katten Legal Clinic, based at Chicago Public Schools' Jose de Diego Community Academy, is operated by Katten in collaboration with Legal Aid Chicago, the Midwest's largest provider of free civil legal services. One of the nation’s first legal aid clinics in an urban public school, the clinic has served more than 1,000 individuals and families, principally residents of the city's Humboldt Park and Wicker Park neighborhoods, since opening in 2013. Katten and Legal Aid Chicago attorneys work one-on-one with clinic clients on a range of civil matters involving issues related to family law, housing and consumer disputes, public benefits, and expungement of criminal records.
Jonathan Baum
As Katten’s director of pro bono services, Jonathan Baum coordinates the firm’s entire pro bono portfolio. He identifies pro bono work that complements Katten’s diverse areas of practice, going beyond just traditional litigation to include nonprofit corporate governance, affordable housing and community development transactions, and trust and estate planning to underserved populations.
Jonathan has served in his role since 1993, when he became one of only a handful of law firm partners in the nation to focus exclusively on the delivery of pro bono work. He matches pro bono opportunities with the best-suited attorneys and monitors each pro bono matter at the firm. He also personally represents pro bono litigation clients. He frequently represents refugees seeking asylum in the United States and individuals experiencing racial discrimination in housing or public accommodations. In collaboration with Illinois’ largest legal aid provider, Jonathan launched one of the first legal aid clinics in an urban public school, an initiative that has served hundreds of low-income clients and was recognized with an ABA Pro Bono Publico award. In another ongoing effort, Jonathan has represented the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in its defense of state and local gun regulations against constitutional challenges.
Prior to joining Katten, Jonathan served as a staff attorney and clinical fellow at the University of Chicago Law School’s Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. Prior to attending law school, Jonathan served as legislative aide to then-U.S. Representative Abner J. Mikva, and following law school, as a law clerk to the late Judge Bernard M. Decker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Jonathan was awarded the “Unsung Hero Award” from Action for Children in 2004 for his victory in an Illinois Supreme Court case denying local governments the authority to interfere with the operation of day care homes licensed by the State of Illinois. In 2010, he received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Public Interest Law Initiative.
Melissa Picciola
Melissa O. Picciola is the Director of Pro Bono & Community Partnerships. Melissa oversees all of Legal Aid Chicago’s volunteer and pro bono projects, including internships, in-house volunteers, community legal clinics, and all law firm and corporate partnerships and has created volunteer focused projects at Legal Aid Chicago serving clients in advance directives, eviction defense, and record expungement. She joined Legal Aid Chicago in 2018 after a career in legal aid. She has practice experience in family law and domestic violence, eviction defense, and representing people with disabilities on individual and systemic matters. Melissa received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
