Fair Housing & Renters' Rights in 2026 (03/12/26)

This is a hybrid event with an in-person and a webinar option. Please select the appropriate button when registering if you plan to attend in-person. Event will take place at The Chicago Bar Association, 321 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL 60604.

This seminar, organized by the Legal Aid Committee, will include two panels examining current issues in the world of fair and affordable housing. The first panel will focus on the current landscape of fair housing enforcement in light of recent changes and litigation at the federal level and the second panel will focus on the Chicago Residential Landlord-Tenant Ordinance, which be celebrating its 40th birthday in 2026. 

Topics and Speakers:
The Current Housing Enforcement Landscape 
Emily Coffey, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Michael Chavarria, HOPE Fair Housing Center
Dominic Voz, Open Communities 

Chicago's Residential Landlord Tenant Ordinance at 40 
Brian James, Program Director, Renter Protection, City of Chicago 
Jonathan Raffensperger, Law Center for Better Housing 
Alexis Smyser, City of Chicago Department of Housing 

Moderator:
Nubia Willman, Latinos Progesando; Chair, CBA Legal Aid Committee

To confirm you are ready to participate in an on demand webcast, please take the browser test here: http://eventcenter.commpartner...

Live CBA Committee meetings and seminars will take place via Zoom webinar.  You will click on "view video" and be directly connected to the meeting/seminar on Zoom.  (You will not receive a Zoom link.)

You MUST have Zoom Desktop Client on your Mac or PC to view a live program. If using a mobile device, you must have the Zoom App (available in the App Store or Google Play).

System requirements for Mac & PC can be found here. System requirements for mobile devices can be here.  

Please note that audience members do not need video or audio access.  Audience members are able to submit questions via the chat or Q & A features of Zoom. 

Chat: Open in-meeting chat, allowing you to send chat messages to and send a message to the host, panelists, and attendees (if permitted). Question & Answer: Open the Q&A window, allowing you to ask questions to the host and panelists. They can either reply back to you via text in the Q&A window or answer your question live.