SFGH Partners Provide Pro Bono Assistance for Illinois Low Income Housing
In 2018, Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Helsinger LLP (SFGH) represented pro bono Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH). CPAH is a provider of community land trust financed low-income housing. CPAH was joining with Lake County Residential Development Corporation (LCRDC) and Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County (AHC) to strengthen the community resources that supported low-income housing in Lake County and northern Cook County. SFGH partners were instrumental in organizing and directing the combination to close it by the end of the year.
As part of the transaction and to streamline the combination process, SFGH partner Etahn Cohen used the newly enacted Illinois Entity Omnibus Act to convert CPAH from a free-standing not-for-profit corporation into a limited liability company owned by LCRDC. This transaction was perhaps the first use of the newly enacted Entity Omnibus Act to convert a not-for-profit corporation following the statute’s enactment. As part of the conversion process, SFGH obtained the approval of the transaction from both the Illinois Attorney General’s office and the office of the Illinois Secretary of State to the conversion.
Rob Anthony, President of CPAH, formerly known as LCRDC, said “We could not have accomplished this transaction without the innovative thinking and steady commitment of Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Helsinger.” This is an example of how SFGH’s innovative pro bono initiative has supported clients in the past and will continue to support them in the future.
For over 38 years, our attorneys at SFGH have used their legal talent and broad experience to provide clients with the best results. By closely working with its clients, SFGH attorneys are better able to assist in developing strategic and cost-effective solutions. Additionally, SFGH partners with public interest organizations on pro bono initiatives representing those in need. These efforts demonstrate SFGH’s continuing commitment to using its legal expertise to support the broader community as well as its business and entrepreneurial clients.