New and Graduating JEP Attorneys Ready for New Growth

November 15, 2018

Last week, the CBF Justice Entrepreneurs Project (JEP) celebrated the graduation of the ninth cohort of participants to successfully complete the 18-month program and welcomed in the twelfth group of attorneys aiming to build innovative and affordable law practices.

Graduates Daniel Hernandez and TJ Walczak work on family law and real estate matters through their firm, Walczak Hernandez, P.C. Chrissie Martell also works on family law and helps clients with adoptions. Jessica Bell focuses on probate and family issues as Bell Advocate LLC, and Tina Tran‘s Needle and Thread Law helps clients stitch together secure futures by offering bankruptcy and expungement services. Steph Garces has built Garces Law to provide real estate and predictably priced civil litigation advocacy. Rounding out the cohort, Ericka McFee serves clients with immigration law needs through McFee Law Offices, PC. We are proud of our newly minted alumni and the practices they’ve created, practices that embody the JEP’s mission to make quality, affordable, and predictably priced legal services available to low and middle income clients. We’re looking forward to supporting their continued growth and wish them all success long into the future!

We were also delighted to welcome in a new group of seven attorneys to begin their JEP experience. Over the next six months, the new JEPers will lay the foundations for their firms and spend 20 hours a week as pro bono residents with legal aid partners. Yeni Adetola will be building a family law practice and working with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS). Celeste Ntuen will also be working on family law matters over at CVLS, though Celeste plans to build some criminal law work into her firm. Robert Alexander will be focusing exclusively on criminal law and will be working with Cabrini Green Legal Aid for his residency. Nichole Tyrese Cain will be working on Social Security benefits at the Legal Council for Health Justice; she has a lot of experience on ERISA matters, which will be another focus of her firm. Audrey Gardner will be working on probate matters at CVLS and may work employment law into the firm she builds. Elise Harmening will be in residency with LAF’s Children & Families practice group on family and education law matters. And last but not least, Gerald Polanco will be working on immigration law with the National Immigrant Justice Center. If you see anyone from this new group around town or in court, please say hello and wish them luck!