Supervising – Senior Asst General Counsel - Litigation
About the job
- A Juris Doctor degree.
- Admission to the Illinois bar and good standing.
- A current license to practice in federal courts.
- At least ten years of litigation experience, including writing briefs and motions and engaging in oral advocacy.
- The ability to learn new substantive areas, including Housing Choice Voucher-related litigation.
- Integrity, strong work ethic, and sound judgment.
- Strong writing, communication, analytical, and client service skills.
- The ability to work cooperatively with supervisors, colleagues, and diverse client departments.
- Submission of a resume and two writing samples; a cover letter is optional.
- Handle all aspects of litigation and serve as lead and trial counsel in state and federal court and administrative forums, including maintaining a caseload.
- Supervise attorneys and non-attorney personnel handling Housing Choice Voucher administrative hearings and litigation, including providing training and reviewing work product.
- Co-supervise the legal department's year-round internship program.
- Evaluate disputes during the pre-litigation stage to determine an appropriate course of action that balances competing interests and facilitates favorable resolution.
- Provide research, analysis, and legal counsel regarding federal and state law, housing-related regulations, Chicago Housing Authority policies, and municipal ordinances.
- Advise client departments on achieving goals in compliance with applicable policies, rules, and law.
- Assist the Deputy General Counsel and other Office of General Counsel members or client departments, including by preparing required reports.
- Assist the Deputy General Counsel in managing matters and litigation in one or more substantive areas, including by supervising attorneys, reviewing attorney work product, and providing guidance.
- Perform additional duties as needed to meet Chicago Housing Authority and departmental needs.
About the company
The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) provides affordable housing in Chicago by owning and managing over 21,000 public housing units and administering the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program for low-income residents. Its housing options combine direct property management with voucher assistance to help families secure safe homes and navigate housing options. CHA differentiates itself through its Plan for Transformation and community development efforts, partnering with private businesses and organizations to reintegrate residents into the urban fabric and expand economic opportunities, including the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program that supports asset building. Its goal is to provide stable, affordable housing while promoting neighborhood revitalization and economic growth for residents, guided by a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor of Chicago.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
Founded
2004
Get referred to Chicago Housing Authority
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- October 1, 2026 Jobs Plus grant funds five years at Wentworth Gardens.
- August 3, 2026 LeClaire Courts financing closed for 183 homes, with 2028 delivery.
- May 2026 board approvals added 94 PBV units, expanding CHA's subsidized pipeline.
What critics are saying
- April 2026 Open Meetings Act lawsuit targets Keith Pettigrew's CEO appointment and governance legitimacy.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson's feud with CHA board threatens procurement, staffing, and HUD relationships.
- If courts void Pettigrew's March 17, 2026 appointment, CHA faces another leadership vacuum.
What makes Chicago Housing Authority unique
- CHA combines 21,000 owned units with 65,000 household voucher administration across Chicago.
- CHA uses MTW authority to blend federal funds, rent income, and redevelopment financing.
- CHA's Plan for Transformation still returns vacant sites like LeClaire Courts through mixed-income rebuilds.
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Benefits
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Short-Term Disability Insurance
Long-Term Disability Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance
Pet Insurance
Commuter Benefits
Prepaid Legal Services
Brightstar 529 College Savings Plan
Identity Theft Protection
Hospital Indemnity Insurance
Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance
401(k) Company Match
401(k) Retirement Plan
Hybrid Work Options
Company News
CHA awarded $2.3 million grant to launch Jobs Plus program at Wentworth Gardens. Published on October 1, 2026 At its September meeting, CHA's Board of Commissioners voted to accept a $2.3 million Jobs Plus Initiative grant from HUD, funding a five-year effort to connect working-age residents at Wentworth Gardens with employment services. CHA is one of only 10 agencies nationwide to receive the grant. Jobs Plus is a place-based program built on three core components: employment-related services, a financial rent incentive, and community support. Through strong partnerships, including the Wentworth Gardens Local Advisory Council, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Park District, and UI Health Miles Square, CHA will offer residents employment training, skill building, financial literacy training, and direct hire job placements. "Jobs Plus saw potential in me before I fully saw it in myself," said former participant Ethiah Williams, who is now a Jobs Plus program manager. "It gave me confidence, skills, leadership, and purpose. I am standing here today because someone invested in me, and now I have the privilege of investing in others."
Johnson taps law professor with no government experience as Chicago's new top lawyer. Mayor Brandon Johnson has nominated Renee Hatcher, a University of Illinois-Chicago law professor with no prior government experience, to succeed Mary Richardson-Lowry as the city's Corporation Counsel, one of five mayoral appointments the City Council took up September 23. 1h ago Friday, Sept 25 By Chicago City Wire Mayor Brandon Johnson has nominated Renee Hatcher, a University of Illinois-Chicago law professor with no prior government experience, to succeed Mary Richardson-Lowry as the city's Corporation Counsel, one of five mayoral appointments the City Council took up September 23. Richardson-Lowry, who has led the city's Law Department for more than three years, told the Chicago Sun-Times her departure was a personal decision unconnected to Johnson's reelection prospects. "I de-camped back to Chicago to serve from Arizona. I left my husband and dogs behind to meet my service requirements. And it has come to a close," she said. Her last day is October 1, the same day Hatcher is set to begin as interim Corporation Counsel, leaving little formal overlap between the two. Hatcher directs UIC's Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic, which supports worker-owned businesses and nonprofits, and holds a law degree from New York University. She previously spent three years as a staff attorney for the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and held fellowships at the University of Baltimore and the University of Texas. She is the daughter of Richard Hatcher, the first Black mayor of Gary, Indiana, and would become the second Black woman to hold the Corporation Counsel post if confirmed. "I don't have the profile of a typical corporation counsel, but I actually think that's a positive in this case," Hatcher said of her appointment. Johnson called Hatcher "a quick study" and said the change was well-timed. "This is the appropriate time to transition. As I prepare for a second term, sending a real clear message to working people in this city that our work has just begun," he said, adding that he wants the Law Department to litigate more aggressively to protect residents against what he described as federal overreach. The appointment requires City Council confirmation and was referred to the Committee on Budget and Government Operations. The Council also took up two mayoral appointments to the Chicago Housing Authority board September 23: Vernell Givens and Mary Gardner, both referred to the Committee on Housing and Real Estate. The nominations come five months after Johnson lost a high-profile fight over control of the CHA, when the board voted 7-2 in March to hire Keith Pettigrew, head of the District of Columbia Housing Authority, as permanent CEO over Johnson's preferred candidate, retired Ald. Walter Burnett. Johnson subsequently moved to remove then-board chair Matthew Brewer, accusing him of mishandling the vote process, and installed Jawanza Malone as chair in his place. CCW could not independently confirm Givens' and Gardner's professional backgrounds by publication time; this story will be updated as that information becomes available.
Chicago Housing Authority awarded $2.3 million hud grant to launch Jobs Plus program at Wentworth Gardens. Published on September 15, 2026 CHICAGO - The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) today accepted a $2.3 million Jobs Plus Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), funding a five-year effort to connect working-age residents at Wentworth Gardens with employment services. CHA is one of only 10 agencies nationwide to receive the grant. Jobs Plus is a place-based program built on three core components: employment-related services, a financial rent incentive, and community support. Through strong, sustained partnerships with local organizations, CHA will offer residents employment training, skill building, financial literacy training, and direct hire job placements. Program goals include increasing the number of residents who find employment, raising quarterly employment rates, and boosting resident income, with outcomes designed to outlast the five-year grant term. This is CHA's third Jobs Plus award, following grants at Altgeld Gardens (2015-2019) and Dearborn Homes (2021-2025). Wentworth Gardens program include the Wentworth Gardens Local Advisory Council, Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago Park District, and UI Health Miles Square are among those partners offering resources for Jobs Plus Participants at Wentworth Gardens this grant period. The program's impact is reflected in the staff it has helped build, as well as the residents it serves. Ethiah Williams first came to Jobs Plus as a participant and now leads as a Program Manager: "Jobs Plus saw potential in me before I fully saw it in myself," Williams said. "It gave me confidence, skills, leadership, and purpose. I am standing here today because someone invested in me, and now I have the privilege of investing in others." About the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA): CHA is the third largest public housing authority in the nation and the largest single owner of rental housing in Chicago. Through its public housing and voucher programs, CHA serves 135,000 people in 65,000 households across all 77 of Chicago's community areas. CHA's mission is to create and sustain strong communities where seniors thrive and everyone can unlock their economic power, ensuring that every neighborhood in Chicago has quality affordable housing and everyone feels welcome. For more information, visit www.thecha.org.
LeClaire Courts reaches construction after fifteen years of vacant land. CHA closed financing for 183 mixed-income homes at the former public-housing site, with construction expected to begin in August and completion planned for 2028. August 3, 2026 LeClaire Courts Redevelopment, Chicago Updated 2026 Updated 2026 Financing closed in August 2026 for two six-story buildings with 183 mixed-income homes, beginning a long-delayed return of housing to the cleared... LeClaire Courts The first two buildings return housing to a site cleared by 2011, including 91 CHA apartments, 74 other affordable homes, and 18 market-rate units. Housing is finally positioned to return to LeClaire Courts. On August 3, the Chicago Housing Authority announced the closing of financing for two six-story buildings on land that has remained vacant since 2011. The milestone is substantial because the gap between clearance and replacement lasted fifteen years. The new homes should be welcomed without letting the length and cost of that gap disappear from the record. The first construction phase begins in 2026, but LeClaire's redevelopment clock started when residents were moved and the land was cleared. What the closing funds. LeClaire A-North and A-South will contain 183 homes: 91 CHA project-based-voucher units, 74 other affordable apartments, and 18 market-rate apartments. The program also includes shared amenities, commercial space, and an early-childhood center. Cabrera Capital Partners and The Habitat Company are the development team. The fifteen-year gap. LeClaire's buildings and residents were removed before replacement housing was ready. Plans, infrastructure work, legal commitments, and financing continued while the site remained empty. That sequence matters to public-housing history. Redevelopment should be measured from relocation through return, not only from the celebratory construction start. What to watch next. Construction was expected to begin in August 2026 and finish in 2028. A visible start, delivery schedule, leasing process, right-to-return implementation, and later phases all require documentation. The mix of deeply subsidized, other affordable, and market-rate units should remain explicit in every progress report. Related public Links. Update Details Event Date August 3, 2026 Place LeClaire Courts Redevelopment, Chicago Updated 2026 Type public-housing-update Source Links * Chicago Housing Authority: LeClaire Courts closing Primary source for the August milestone, unit mix, program, developers, and schedule. * Gautreaux settlement agreement Legal context for replacement-housing obligations and earlier deadlines.
CHA wins three Awards of Merit from NAHRO. Published on August 24, 2026 Host Crystal Palmer, CHA Manager of Resident Engagement, interviews Jeremy Dunn, Manager of the CHA's Digital Inclusion program, on an episode of "Our House," an innovative, resident-centered podcast designed to deliver essential information in an accessible, digital format. Its House has won a 2026 Award of Merit from NAHRO. HOME program, "Our House" pod and PeacePlayers Chicago will be recognized at Denver convention this fall. CHICAGO (Aug. 24, 2026) - Three Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) programs were awarded 2026 Award of Merit trophies by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). All three winners were from CHA's Resident Services department. "CHA is about more than just housing," said Mary Howard, CHA's Chief Administrative and Resident Services Officer. "Each of these three programs reflects our commitment to meeting residents where they're at and supporting them as they pursue their goals. Whether it's helping families build long-term financial stability, providing clear and accessible information through a podcast, or creating spaces where young people feel safe and supported, our work is rooted in helping residents thrive." The three winners are: * Home Ownership Made Easy (HOME) program: A voucher-to-homeownership pathway that transitions low-income households from rental assistance to asset ownership within the City of Chicago. Through the integration of the Choose to Own (CTO) initiative and the Down Payment Assistance (DPA) program, the agency has significantly expanded access to homeownership for income-qualified families through HOME. The program demonstrates how rental subsidy can serve as a structured bridge to long-term wealth creation within Chicago neighborhoods. * "Our House" Podcast: CHA launched an innovative, resident-centered podcast, Its House, in 2025, designed to deliver essential information in an accessible, digital format. The podcast provides an on-demand platform that serves to enhance transparency and empowers residents with a clear understanding of CHA policies, procedures, and available services. Episodes address topics such as pet policies, lease compliance, ADA accommodations, and community expectations. * PeacePlayers Chicago: In partnership with CHA and Intentional Sports, PeacePlayers Chicago is a six-week, Monday-Friday paid camp for male youth ages 13-15. The program offers a unique blend of basketball, leadership development, career readiness and peace building, using basketball as a tool for experiential learning. The program creates a safe, inclusive, and engaging environment where youth strengthen basketball skills, develop leadership and life skills, build new friendships, and gain career exposure. The Award of Merit recipients will be honored at the Community Innovation Awards Program Reception during NAHRO's National Conference and Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Oct. 15-17, 2026.