Martin Cozzola

Staff Counsel, Housing

Marty joined Impact for Equity’s housing team in September 2022 after spending seven years at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS). During his time at CVLS, Marty worked in several different programs. He represented countless low-income clients throughout Cook County, including families facing homelessness due to foreclosure, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a Housing Choice Voucher. Most recently, Marty was the Supervising Attorney for CVLS’ portion of the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network and the Early Resolution Program, a new initiative designed to level the playing field in Cook County’s eviction courts. The day-to-day struggles faced by CVLS clients will inform Marty’s work to address issues of fair and affordable housing at the macro level with BPI. 

Marty is an alumnus of the University of Michigan, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, and the AmeriCorps VISTA Program. He is active in both Chicago’s legal aid community and his own neighborhood. He has served as Chair of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) ‘s Alumni Network Leadership Council and a community representative for the Local School Council at Frederick Funston Elementary School in Logan Square. In 2020, Marty received the Kimball R. Anderson & Karen Gatsis Anderson Public Interest Law Fellowship from the Chicago Bar Foundation.  

In his free time, Marty enjoys cooking, traveling, and navigating Chicago’s grid (and beyond) the best way possible: on a bike.