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COMMUNITY MONTHLY LEGAL CLINIC COLLABORATIVE
KELLI DUDLEY
RESISTANCE LEGAL CLINIC FOUNDER
Kelli Dudley is the Director of the Resistance Legal Clinic. This small clinic provides brief advice to homeowners in foreclosure and with related issues. In its first three months of existence, Resistance helped approximately 50 homeowners and attended three Save-Your-Home events sponsored by the Illinois Attorney General and a non-profit organization. Since then, Resistance has pursued a Wall Street-owned slumlord for evading Illinois laws protecting tenants and for ignoring due process related to evictions. Resistance has tirelessly advocated for organizations which receive funding to assist homeowners and litigants rather than ignoring or misinforming them. Resistance is the only entity of its kind with working, cordial relationships with select bank attorneys to help resolve cases where possible.
Kelli practices law privately. For ten years, she has helped people in foreclosure by providing vigorous defenses to foreclosure actions and filing affirmative lawsuits where homeowners are harmed by the practices of lenders. She has also assisted tenants facing forcible entry and detainer actions and tenants harmed by lenders and third-party buyers who harm tenants during and after foreclosure. Currently, she focuses on fair housing. Kelli settled a case against a foreclosure “defense” attorney who targeted the Hispanic community in violation of the Fair Housing Act. She won an arbitration award of nearly $100,000 against a foreclosure “defense” attorney who targets the African-American community for substandard and high-priced legal services. She settled a case where a lender discriminated in deciding whether to grant a loan modification.
In 2013, she worked with 50 homeowners in Wheeling, Illinois, to fight eviction based on supposed code violations that seemed to be motivated by a desire to remove Hispanic residents. The case settled after 50 people filed a Federal lawsuit, 18 human-rights complaints, and 26 administrative review cases—all with Kelli as their attorney. Her advocacy has attracted the ire of foreclosure “defense” attorneys, who succeeded in illegally obtaining a gag order preventing her from talking to her own client, her co-counsel, or community groups about foreclosure for approximately 16 months beginning in July 2013. This order impeded the development of Resistance because Kelli could not speak to people. It is summarized in the Seventh Circuit Appellate Decision, Fenton v. Dudley. Kelli published a law review article in the DePaul University College of Law's The DePaul Journal for Social Justice, The Last Thing We Do, Let's Scare All the Lawyers: How Fair Housing Defendants are Intimidating Fair Housing Advocates Instead of Defending Cases and Why It Is Illegal.
Areas of special concern at this time include retaliation against fair housing advocates, premature evictions (without a court order), discrimination in modification decisions, discrimination in declaring default and bringing foreclosures, and discrimination in performing evictions in majority minority neighborhoods. Kelli also assists homeowners by suing unethical attorneys and loan modification companies that take money and provide no service. Kelli teaches Housing Law and Predatory Lending Law at the DePaul University School of Law and was nominated by her students for a 2015 ENGAGE award. In collaboration with the Center for Public Interest Law at DePaul, she offered a 6-part symposium on Foreclosure at DePaul in Fall 2012.
JUSTINA L. WINFREY
COMPUTER ADVANCEMENT IN BILINGUAL EDUCATION (C.A.B.E.)
Justina L. Winfrey, is a burst of energy, with a passion for community. Her name originates, from the foundation of “Justice”. Raised on the west side of Chicago, with roots grounded in the deep south of Kosciusko, Mississippi and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Justina is the founder of Computer Advancement Bilingual Education (C.A.B.E.), servicing families across the Chicago area, through life skills based, educational training's and workshops.
She partnered with several CPS schools to develop an effective stakeholder structure, while delivering innovative technology training's and community forums in bilingual education. C.A.B.E. is built around the concept: “To Fit, To Be Possible”. C.A.B.E., is a green and sustainable organization. Justina is also, a founding member of the National Black Agenda Consortium (NBAC) and believes, strong community partnerships are an integral component toward the positive development of our environment. Having recently partnered with a Chicago based Legal Clinic, Justina also focuses on developing programs for families, geared toward revitalizing dilapidated communities, most impacted by foreclosures.
She continues her work with J.L. Winfrey Consulting, as the Principal Consultant for various research projects, business and not-for-profit development. J.L. Winfrey Consulting’s mantra, “UNITE. CREATE. SUSTAIN” and “Bringing your ideas to life”, is an affirmation of her professional experience. She has sixteen combined years of experience in community, government and corporate relations, project management and not-for-profit organizational management. Ten years of experience in Press and Media Relations. Additionally, eight years of experience in sales/marketing and event management.
Justina is a Political Scientist, presently pursuing post baccalaureate degrees. A former Quinn Fellow and Chicago-Kent College of Law Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholar. Justina is a decorated scholar and alumni of Chicago State University's highly respected political science program. She is a Community Leader, with active roles on several action committees.
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