www.negociosnow.com
16 March 2023
Age: 35
Title: General Counsel
Organization: Illinois Torture Inquiry
and Relief Commission
Jennifer Lydia Crespo is a gradua-
te of Northwestern University's
Medill School of Journalism and
the University of Illinois Chicago
School of Law. The daughter of
immigrants from the Philippines
and Puerto Rico, Crespo's pers-
pective is informed by her unwa-
vering commitment to fierce, fair
advocacy. Crespo's work with the
Medill Innocence Project helped
exonerate a wrongfully convic-
ted man, and that experience
prompted her pursuit of a career
in law.
After earning her law degree,
Crespo assisted immigration
clients with obtaining asylum
in the United States. She joined
frontline attorneys at O'Hare
International Airport in Ja-
nuary 2017 to combat the travel
ban targeting Islamic religious
groups. While working with her
immigrant clients, Crespo lear-
ned about scams that dispro-
portionately affect immigrant
communities and non-English-
speaking consumers. This led
her to the Office of the Illinois
Attorney General where she
served as an assistant attorney
general in the Consumer Fraud
Bureau and practiced complex
commercial civil litigation for
more than six years.
Crespo is president of HLAI
serving the Hispanic lawyers
of Illinois. During her tenure
with HLAI, Crespo has served
as communications outreach
committee chair, board director,
membership secretary, and presi
-
dent-elect. Crespo helped launch
HLAI's judicial reception, host its
first gala, and induct inaugural
members to HLAI's Lincoln-Jua-
rez Honor Society.
Crespo's mentors in the His-
panic legal community, and her
colleagues in bar associations
throughout the state of Illinois
inspired her return to the front li-
nes of combating injustice within
the justice system. Today Crespo
is general counsel of the Illinois
Torture Inquiry and Relief Com-
mission where she investigates
claims that torture was used to
obtain confessions leading to cri-
minal convictions.
Jennifer Lydia
Crespo
Fighting
for justice
with law
WORDS OF WISDOM:
"L
ead with compassion, not
aggression, with empathy
rather than authority, with purpose
instead of pride, and with forgiveness
in place of fear."
