The ARK is a nonprofit agency dedicated to helping Chicagoland’s Jewish community. They engage the services of professionals and volunteers to provide medical, legal, and social assistance to those in need. CVLS partners with the ARK to connect low-income clients with volunteer attorneys.
In September 2021, Jeffrey was evicted from his condominium building for failure to pay his assessment fees; he was also facing foreclosure. When Jeffrey met with Jewish United Fund volunteer attorney Miles Cohen for the first time, he was being sheltered at the ARK. Jeffrey explained to Miles that he had recently been injured and unable to work, which caused him to fall behind on his assessment fees and mortgage payments. He had tried to file pleadings in the eviction and foreclosure cases to no result.
Miles reviewed Jeffrey’s file and agreed to represent him. He appeared in the foreclosure case and fended off judgment, counseling Jeffrey that his best option might be to sell the unit. Jeffrey agreed with this course of action, and Miles connected him with a real estate agent. After the real estate agent listed the property and found a buyer, Miles referred Jeffrey to a real estate attorney who handled the closing.
With Miles’s help, Jeffrey was able to sell the property and pay off the mortgage lender and his past-due assessment fees. Miles even helped coordinate movers for Jeffrey to vacate the unit with all of his belongings. The sale of the condo unit closed, and Jeffrey was able use the leftover money to get a fresh start.
This article has been corrected to clarify Miles' association with the Jewish United Fund not the ARK.