Notes on Nubia
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Nubia Willman at age 4 moved to Indiana with her mother and eventually settled in Indianapolis. After earning a degree in sociology with a focus on criminology in 2007, she attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law as a first-generation law student. She interned at Latinos Progresando in Little Village, providing legal assistance to domestic violence survivors, and in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender. She also completed an externship at Legal Aid Chicago (then the LAF), providing free legal assistance in noncriminal cases to people living in poverty in the metropolitan area.
“It really opened my eyes to the importance of free legal aid,” she says. “My clients mostly were survivors of domestic violence who were fighting for child custody and immigration rights. I saw how attorneys gave them a sense of security and how representing them in court made all the difference in whether they were able to keep their children, safely leave abusive situations, or stay in the country.”
After graduating in 2010, Willman spent nine years at Legal Aid Chicago, first as a senior attorney representing clients facing employment discrimination or suffering from domestic abuse or sexual assault. She spent her last year as a supervising attorney for immigration and asylum, human trafficking, criminal victimization, and employment discrimination cases.
