Eilleen Ingram-Willis
Managing Attorney
South Ward Promise Neighborhood Program
Eilleen is a Managing Attorney at Volunteer Lawyers for Justice where she leads VLJ's South Ward Promise Neighborhood Program, collaborating with partner organizations to provide holistic legal assistance to families in Newark’s South Ward. Eilleen also oversees VLJ's pro bono recruitment, retention, and recognition efforts.
Prior to joining VLJ, Eilleen served as in-house counsel for the Jersey City Housing Authority for 11 years where she established and administered all legal aspects of its public housing and housing voucher program matters and ensured compliance with applicable federal regulations and state laws. Her career in the public sector began as a staff attorney at Central Jersey Legal Services in the Housing and Public Entitlements unit where she gained extensive ligation experience.
During law school, Eilleen provided transactional assistance to small businesses, organizations, and schools, and represented resident groups and CDC’s regarding urban redevelopment planning through the Community Law Clinic. She was also Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Rutgers Race & The Law Review, and Eilleen received her Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and a minor in sociology.
Eilleen is licensed to practice law in New Jersey and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Eilleen is an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, Garden State Bar Association and the New Jersey Women’s Lawyers Association. She also serves as a Board Trustee for WomenRising, a non-profit organization in Hudson County that helps women and families who are victims of domestic violence achieve self-sufficiency. When not at VLJ, Eilleen enjoys yoga and spending time with her family.
Awards & Recognition
Click here to read Eilleen’s profile as VLJ’s April 2023 Defender of Justice
Connect with Eilleen on LinkedIn
Connect with Eilleen
““Ensuring access to justice means acknowledging that racial and economic disparities exist and providing legal assistance to help create opportunities and increase stability for low-income families.””