Equity Legal Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm committed to racial equity, environmental equity, and social justice. Founded by Nicole Nelson in 2018, they serve the citizens of Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis, Illinois—two underprivileged communities of color that, for decades, have been afflicted by stormwater flooding and sewage overflows into their homes, neighborhoods, and drinking water supplies. These flood events have been exacerbated by climate change but stem primarily from these communities’ 70-year-old sewer and stormwater systems that local governments have neglected to maintain. ELS provides these communities with legal assistance, legislative advocacy, and community organization, helping residents hold their governments accountable for this environmental crisis. The only law firm in the region providing impact litigation at no cost, ELS is working to ensure that the citizens of Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis no longer suffer from these environmental and structural poverty issues.
Residents of Cahokia Heights, Illinois navigate flooded streets by boat. Photo: Equity Legal Services
A woman-led organization with five staff members, Equity Legal Services is a small law firm making a massive impact in the Midwest. Since 2018, ELS has worked closely with the citizens of Cahokia Heights (formerly known as Centreville, Illinois), helping them form their own nonprofit group, Centreville Citizens for Change. In 2022, ELS partnered with scientists from Washington University to conduct drinking water testing in Cahokia Heights, revealing that flooding and sewage overflows are contaminating drinking water supplies and harming local residents’ health. ELS has also partnered with Earthjustice to file a Clean Water Act suit against the city of Cahokia Heights. The lawsuit is ongoing, but has already forced action from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Illinois state government, all of which have begun working to fix Cahokia Heights’ outdated sewer and stormwater systems to provide the city’s residents with clean water, safe homes, and a healthy future.
Cahokia Heights residents struggle with sewage and stormwater flooding their homes and neighborhoods. Photo: Equity Legal Services