Panelist Bios and Program Descriptions
Dennericka Brooks is a senior attorney in LAF's housing practice group. She
earned her bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and her law degree from Loyola
University Chicago School of Law in 2007. Dennericka began working at LAF
immediately after graduating law school handling housing, family, consumer, and
unemployment claims. Her current work in housing includes representing tenants in
forcible entry and detainer actions and administrative hearings.
The Woodlawn Legal Clinic is a collaboration between DLA Piper, LLP, the Legal
Assistance Foundation (LAF), and the Woodlawn Children's Promise Community
geared towards providing free legal services to the children and families of Woodlawn.
Every 2nd Wednesday of the month, a free legal clinic is held from 4-7 pm at the
AKArama Center located at 6220 S. Ingleside Ave. The clinic assists individuals and
families with legal problems regarding family, SSI, housing, landlord, employment,
expungements, public aid, foreclosure, home repair contractors, and more. Services
provided range from advice and referrals to direct representation.
Nina Nicole Longino currently serves as the Program Director for Woodlawn
Children's Promise Community (WCPC). She manages the organization's extended
learning opportunities and the family and community engagement strategy. Fairly new
to the Chicago area, Nina has previously worked in higher education where she served
as Fordham University's Assistant Dean for Student Leadership and Community
Development, and managed all aspects of the University's co-curricular
programming. Prior to that, Nina worked with the Harlem Children's Zone as the
academic specialist coordinating academic advising for HCZ youth, grades 7-12.
Woodlawn Children's Promise Community is a community-based effort to
radically improve the trajectory of children's lives in Chicago's Woodlawn
neighborhood. This project was initiated by the late chairman emeritus, Bishop Arthur
M. Brazier, long-time leader of the Apostolic Church of God, and an iconic figure in
community organizing. WCPC has been built from the community up, systematically
engaging Woodlawn community-based organizations, faith-based institutions, parents,
school leaders and teachers. WCPC aims to change the odds for Woodlawn children by
focusing on three central areas: the quality of instruction and leadership in schools,
expanded and realigned supports for youth and families in school and out, and family
and community asset focused on positive educational outcomes.
Phil Mohr was formerly a volunteer at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services and
joined the staff in 1991, became the Family Law Director in 1996, and was named the
Deputy Director in 2006. In addition to being Deputy Director, Phil continues to direct
our Family Law Program. His own large caseload and the work of his American
Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers panel does much to meet our greatest
need: representation of clients on contested family law matters. In addition to trial
work, he has gained experience with appellate work as well, arguing, along with a CVLS
volunteer,before the Illinois Supreme Court. As an experienced family law practitioner,
Phil spends many hours tutoring young volunteers, both individually and through
seminars, gradually guiding them from simple to complex cases. His talent with training
has given him the responsibility of overseeing the summer student program. Phil is a
regular speaker on family law and pro bono issues, recently speaking at NLADA Equal
Justice Conference, statewide Legal Advocates Conferences, the ISBA mid-year meeting,
and on the ISBA’s cable production. He is the former chair of the Chicago Bar
Association's Legal Aid Committee. Phil was the chair of the subsection of the legal
service’s consortium which has both created pro-se family law forms and materials and
assisted with the creation of the Domestic Relations Division’s Self-Help Center. He
also is the Legal Content Editor of the Family Law practice area of the Illinois
Technology Center’s website and co-chair of the Clerk of the Circuit Court Pro Se
Litigants Advisory Committee. Phil is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association
and a former ISBA Assembly and ISBA Family Law Section Council member. In 2004,
Phil was selected by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company as one of the "40 Attorneys
Under 40 in Illinois to Watch".
Naria Santa Lucia is responsible for the overall development, strategic
planning and programmatic direction of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy
(Moran Center). Prior to serving as the Executive Director, Ms. Santa Lucia was a
Litigation Associate at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Ms. Santa Lucia also served
as Program Director for the Center for Ethical Leadership and as Program Manager for
the Seattle Youth Involvement Network. Ms. Santa Lucia currently serves on the Board
of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, the Evanston150 Steering
Committee and the City of Evanston’s Mayor’s Youth Task Force. Ms. Santa Lucia is a
graduate of the Law School and the College at the University of Chicago, where she
graduated with honors and was elected Phi Beta Kappa. Outside of her work at the
Moran Center, Ms. Santa Lucia can be found practicing yoga, chauffeuring her children,
and watching crime shows from the 80s.
The James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy (the "Moran Center") provides
integrated legal representation and social work services to low-income Evanston youth
and their families to improve their quality of life at home, at school and in the
community. The Moran Center's legal services include juvenile delinquency and adult
felony and misdemeanor representation, school discipline and school special education
advocacy, and criminal records expungement services.
Chris Carroll is the Specialized Services Director at Community Counseling
Centers of Chicago (C4).