F. Willis Caruso
Clinical Professor F. Willis Caruso will be honored on May 23, 2013, with an award for Excellence in Public Interest Service presented by the United States District Court, in conjunction with the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
Caruso was selected for his years of outstanding pro bono work on behalf of those who otherwise would fail to have representation. From the time he graduated from Northwestern University Law School he has dedicated time to pro bono legal work. He has given countless hours developing cases, representing clients in court and teaching students not only how to develop cases but why public service and pro bono work is so important for the betterment of society.
Several of the cases Caruso argued have been precedent-setting, including Metropolitan Housing Development Corp. et.al. v. Village of Arlington Heights which went before the United States Supreme Court. On remand, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Caruso’s clients in the case faced violations under the Fair Housing Act.
Caruso serves as director of the law school’s Pro Bono Program and co-executive director of The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Support Center. He previously was director of the law school’s Fair Housing Legal Clinic.
It is estimated he has provided pro bono legal assistance in at least 1,000 cases. He was a founding member of the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, and was general counsel for the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities. It was during that time that Caruso worked with Professor Michael Seng to develop an externship program for students. Their work led to the founding of the Fair Housing Legal Clinic.
Caruso then went to work as general counsel for the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) helping the agency as it transitioned from housing developments to scattered site housing that enabled persons with Section 8 vouchers to move into neighborhoods throughout the Chicago area.
It was after his work at CHA that Caruso joined the John Marshall staff in 1994. Caruso directed the Fair Housing Legal Clinic until 2008. As director of the Pro Bono Program Caruso works with staff attorneys Katie Anderson and Linda Anderson as they prepare students to assist Chicago-area clients in need of legal assistance.