Erika Petty is executive director and lead attorney. She grew up in Flint, Michigan. Her father was a Lutheran minister, and her mother was a nonprofit consultant and grant writer. Her father became the minister of a church on National and 27th Street. The congregation was made up of English-speaking, Spanish and Hmong communities. Petty went to public schools and graduated from Rufus King High School.
She then went onto Loyola University in Chicago, majoring in theater and sociology. She discovered that many impoverished families could not afford a lawyer. I found her thoughtful, engaging, and spirited.
I could see how clients would feel kinship. That started my career in civil legal aid. For nine years, I worked with clients who had suspended driver licenses and some with criminal records that prevented them from getting employment. Then, I practiced housing law for about four years. That sounds daunting and seems like a lot of legal work.
How is the clinic funded? Are the lawyers paid? We are funded through federal and state government grants. Nonprofit foundations also provide funding.
For example, we just received a Racine Dominican Missions grant to provide free legal immigration services to survivors of sexual abuse.
