Metropolitan Family Services is saddened to share that Attorney Grace Newgard, Director of the Pro Bono Project at the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, passed away Sunday, October 25, 2015 after an extended battle with pancreatic cancer.

Grace earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and joined the Legal Aid Society in 2006 as its first full-time pro bono director. She developed a thriving pro bono initiative that matches thousands of low-income clients with volunteer attorneys and provides access to justice to vulnerable people who cannot afford representation. Her many contributions include:

• Recruiting pro-bono attorneys and legal interns. Grace partnered with law firms and law schools to engage attorneys and students in rewarding volunteer opportunities.
• Starting a simple divorce program to connect clients with start-to-finish legal representation. Grace also trained volunteers to provide the services.
• Collaborating with other legal aid providers to launch the Collaborative Law Project, which offers a constructive approach to divorce that encourages parties to work out agreements before going to court.
• Helping establish a pro se self-help center at the Markham Courthouse, where 80 percent of litigants do not have access to a lawyer. She also organized legal aid services for Metropolitan’s Learning and Wellness Center, serving Chicago’s West Englewood and New City communities.

Grace especially loved her work with law students, mobilizing our interns to secure Orders of Protection at Chicago’s Domestic Violence Courthouse and serving on the advisory board for the DePaul Law School's Center for Public Interest Law.

“Grace had a genuine passion to help others, and a deep desire to provide legal services to those who most need justice,” said Karina Ayala-Bermejo, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society. “She cherished her work at the pro se advice desk in Markham, at our Learning and Wellness Center, and at the Micah Clinic, which she helped establish. Her legacy as a compassionate attorney, tireless advocate, and wonderful friend, wife and mother will long continue."

Her passion for service was clear from the beginning. After law school, she declined a position with a top international law firm to devote herself to legal aid, starting her own law clinic before joining the Legal Aid Society. Her tireless work has been instrumental in generating thousands of pro bono hours to help serve 8,000 clients every year, earning her recognition as the Legal Aid Society’s 2014 Employee of the Year in 2014.

Grace’s 18-month battle with cancer revealed a strong faith that was another dimension of her strength. Friends and family say she credited a deep faith in Jesus Christ for enabling her to continue fighting a disease that most do not survive beyond six months. She joyfully celebrated her son’s third birthday days before she passed away. 

Grace is survived by her husband Brant and their 3-year-old son, and will be missed by hundreds of friends, clients, colleagues and volunteers whose lives she touched.  At the request of family, contributions in her honor can be made to the Legal Aid Society by visiting https://publicgood.com/org/metropolitan-family-services/donate/grace-newgardor calling 312 986-4018.