Ascend Justice

10/16/2026

Great blog post from one of our partner organizations: What Happened at Cornell is Not Inevitable. Give it a read and pass it on!

What happened to Jane Doe at Cornell University, and to so many others on college campuses across the country, is deeply distressing and unacceptable.

But there’s one thing it isn’t: inevitable.

According to media reports, Jane Doe was failed at multiple levels, from the perpetrators to the university’s response, local law enforcement, and bystanders who allegedly knew about the assault but did nothing.

Preventing violence means addressing the harmful attitudes that enable it and understanding why men use violence and why others remain silent when they witness it.

Jesse Mahler, Public Education Program Manager at Futures Without Violence, explores what we can learn from the Cornell allegations and the steps we can take to create lasting change on college campuses.

💡 Learn how we can work together to prevent violence and create safer college campuses at www.tinyurl.com/cornell-blog

10/15/2026

Survivors often need legal help to detangle their lives from their abusers, but hiring a lawyer is expensive. So people are turning to AI to solve legal issues on their own. Many people who can't afford attorneys are seeking help on ChatGPT and Claude, but they often get wrong answers that give them unrealistic expectations and set their cases back. It can be dangerous for survivors to rely on AI for legal advice because filing something incorrectly on their own can result in devastating outcomes in their cases. Using AI in certain ways may also negate attorney-client privilege. Read more from our friends at SHALVA: https://shalvacares.org/ai-is-making-waves-in-the-legal-world-heres-what-survivors-and-other-humans-need-to-know/

Free legal aid services, like those we provide at Ascend Justice, can help survivors get protection from their abusers, get divorced, figure out child responsibility, get out from under their abusers' debt, and more. We provide free, high-quality legal services to survivors because we believe everyone deserves access to justice. If you want more survivors to have access to the legal help they need, please support our work here: https://www.ascendjustice.org/donate/

10/13/2026

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are shouting out the newest members of our Board, some truly amazing people who donate their time, incredible talents, and resources to ending gender-based violence.

Next up is Angela Inzano, who joined our Board of Directors in June. Angela is the Chief of Staff at the Office of State Representative Tracy Katz Muhl, Illinois House of Representatives. She started her law career at the Family Defense Center (which merged with the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic in 2019 to become Ascend Justice) and still maintains strong connections with our team and our mission.

Angela says: “Joining the board of Ascend Justice feels like coming home. It gives me hope to see the continued transformational impact of their holistic services. Ascend Justice's clients are so much more than survivors of gender-based violence and the family regulation system, they are our neighbors, our loved ones, our communities, and I am honored to serve them in this role.”

We are so proud to have Angela on our Board!

10/12/2026

Our offices are closed today, October 12, in honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

We will be here to assist you tomorrow (Tuesday, October 13) starting at 8:30am.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, please call the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877.863.6338.

10/08/2026

Help us honor the strength, resilience, and courage of survivors this Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Let survivors know we are with them, always. https://www.ascendjustice.org/donate/

Your support helps survivors like Connie, who was emotionally and physically abused for many years before her abuser kicked her out. She left with her children and moved into a domestic violence shelter, but the abuse did not stop. He continued to harass her, sending hundreds of texts and ranting about her on social media, even going so far as to claim that her children were in danger.

She knew she needed legal assistance to stop him.

Ascend Justice was able to help Connie document her abuse and get an Order of Protection. And because she had left her home with nothing, our Client Support team connected her with the additional resources she needed to get back on her feet. She and her kids are safe now, thanks to your support.

This is the kind of impact you make when you support Ascend Justice, so donate today and let survivors know we are with them, always! https://www.ascendjustice.org/donate/

10/06/2026

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are shouting out the newest members of our Board, some truly amazing people who donate their time, incredible talents, and resources to ending gender-based violence.

First up is Alexandra Greenberg, who joined our Board of Directors in June. Alexandra is a partner at Davis Friedman LLP. She volunteered at the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic while in law school, which sparked both her interest in family law and commitment to helping survivors. She has served on our Young Professionals Board since 2021, most recently as Vice Chair of Fundraising.

Alexandra says: “I volunteer my time with Ascend Justice because as a private family law attorney I witness firsthand the importance of legal aid for victims of gender-based violence who often have nowhere to turn for financial and legal assistance. It is important to me to commit my time and effort to assisting those of limited financial means obtain legal assistance and funding, as so often the decision to remain self-represented can result in negative outcomes for victims.”

We are so proud to have Alexandra on our Board!

10/05/2026

If you want to help us raise awareness about domestic violence this month, consider bringing a friend to one of the many DVAM events happening in Chicago this year. Check out The Network - Advocating Against Domestic Violence's calendar, and let us know what you plan to attend! https://the-network.org/domestic-violence-awareness-month/

10/01/2026

Today is the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so let's raise some awareness! Help us by taking one action today: share with your networks the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline! Let everyone know they can call 877.863.6338 to get help.

Domestic violence impacts so many people, and many suffer in silence. Let them know they are never alone. Let them know you are with survivors, always.

09/25/2026

We are very proud to be presenting again this year at the Pro Bono Network Training Conference on October 1!

Our Managing Director for Immigration and Client Services, Angelica Gonzalez-Lopez, will be presenting in Training Block 1 on helping U visa holders adjust their status and obtain a green card. Lauren Schroeder, our Senior Attorney for Family Defense and Incarcerated Survivors, will be presenting in Training Block 2 on the Divorce Litigation Project, which helps low-income clients and incarcerated survivors get straightforward divorces. If you are interested in working with these populations on pro bono cases, we hope you'll join us!

The PBN Training Conference provides attorneys with a chance to see how they can get involved in pro bono and deepen their impact, introducing participants to range of flexible options across many practice areas. Check it out: https://www.pbnetwork.org/pbntc

09/23/2026

We're hiring a Client Support Manager! Are you a compassionate, skilled manager who wants to help survivors of gender-based violence and the child welfare system? Come work with us! https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/for-legal-professionals/job-postings/client-support-manager