312.972.7969
OUR TEAM
We are a People-First Practice providing personalized and personable immigration and family law services that deliver real results.
Jennifer L. Bennett
Attorney at Law
Jennifer’s big heart and unending compassion have guided her for more than a decade of practicing law here in Chicago. She uses that drive to serve some of the most disenfranchised people of the city with passion and dedication.
Before opening JLB Law Group, Jennifer spent several years working for the US Department of Labor, in their Office of Foreign Labor Certification. This has gained her priceless knowledge about how the government “thinks” about cases, and she now uses that insight to make the most effective arguments for her clients.
Deeply rooted in her community, Jennifer has worked with organizations such as the Indo-American Center, as well as the Esperanza Health Center. She is also involved with the Junior League of Chicago to combat human trafficking. She has participated in numerous volunteer opportunities both locally and globally, working to serve underprivileged women and children.
Jennifer received her Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in social work from Ball State University. She worked as an adult and juvenile probation officer before pursuing a Masters in Public Administration and her J.D. from Indiana University, Indianapolis.
Susan joined our firm with over 20 years of administrative management and customer service experience. She assists in the development and implementation of the firms’ policies and procedures and manages and oversees the day to day of the office.
She has always had a passion for people and being there to support others in order for them to achieve their professional goals. She is dedicated to forge and create partnerships with both clients and employees.
Susan graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, with a degree in Economics.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends; whether it’s listening to live music or taking her dog to the lakefront for long walks. She lives in Chicago and is the mom of 3 young adult men!
Susan Bernard
Office Manager
Raya has felt strongly about many human rights issues, such as women's rights and refugee safety, for as long as she can remember. The field of law provides her with an opportunity to make a real difference for some of the people affected by these issues.
Raya has a passion for working with people from a variety of international backgrounds and helping disadvantaged communities. While she is a second-generation Pakistani American, Raya still holds her family's immigrant background close at heart and greatly admires immigrants, their stories, and their backgrounds.
While being rather new to the legal field, Raya knows this is the right career path for her, as learning the client's stories and figuring out complex issues is what fulfills her on a daily basis. She hopes to continue a career dedicated to fighting for the rights of minorities.
Outside of work, Raya likes to read, try new foods, travel, do yoga, and spend time with her friends and family, to whom she is incredibly close!
Raya Sajid
Paralegal
Emily was born and raised here in Chicago, Illinois. She currently works as a Paralegal for our firm.
She recently graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Communications, and a minor in Public Law/Political Thought. At DePaul, she realized a career in law perfectly combined her desire to help others with her love of complex problem solving, organizational skills, and attention to detail. Emily plans on going to law school in the near future.
In her free time, Emily enjoys trying new restaurants around the city, hanging out at the lake, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
Emily Burnett
Paralegal
Tala Ibrahim
Legal Assistant
Tala was born and raised right here in Chicago, Illinois.
She is currently a hard-working student with aspirations to go to law school after finishing up her Bachelor’s Degree. Not only is she a first-generation college student, but she is bilingual as well, her second language being Arabic, and holds her family’s Palestinian immigration background near and dear to her heart.
Her incredible people skills and joy for the law make her a wonderful addition to the team. In her spare time, Tala enjoys hanging out with family and friends, as well as learning about new topics that intrigue her such as nutrition, cooking, psychology, and statistics of the world.
But Tala's greatest hobby is to travel. She and her family take a trip almost every year, and she's visited over 10 different countries so far.
Joan was born and raised in South Africa and has always had great compassion for serving other people.
Growing up in a country with 12 languages and multiple different cultures, serving clients from across the globe has become second nature to her. With her 13+ years of administrative assistant experience in multinational office environments, Joan is well versed in business terminologies and standard practices.
Although the law field is still very new to her, she has comfortably found her happy place helping immigrants and family law clients receive the very best of care.
Joan, who has over 15 years of administration experience, always serves with a smile and is well known for her uplifting spirit in the office.
In her spare time, she is involved with community work and enjoys spending a lot of time with family.
Joan Engelbrecht
Administrative Assistant
Vanessa Rodriguez Chiliseo
Administrative Assistant
Vanessa was born and raised in El Salvador and works remotely for our law offices. Bilingual and with over 8+ years of experience in customer service, she loves to work with clients from all kinds of cultures and backgrounds. Vanessa is the perfect person to assist our clients over the phone, making sure their concerns are solved promptly.
Vanessa studied Marketing in El Salvador and although the law field was a new path for her, she loves the challenge of learning the ins and outs of immigration and family law.
Throughout years of experience, she has developed great communication skills and is driven and motivated to assist clients on their immigration journey.
Vanessa is detail-oriented, dedicated, kind, and patient. She has found her place at The Law Office of Jennifer Bennett.
On a personal level, she is a team player who will proactively help to solve problems when they arise. When Vanessa isn't working, she enjoys spending time with her mom and friends. She is an animal lover too and enjoys listening to music and cooking new recipes.
Born and raised in Honduras, Shadia works remotely for our law offices as an Administrative Assistant.
Shadia has always been very interested in immigration and international matters and recently graduated with a degree in International Relations where she learned from all fields: law, diplomacy, and administration. She can be described as a hardworking and optimistic person, always available to help others.
Shadia used her past experience as an Assistant to reinforce her skills in customer service, administrative, and tech-savvy tasks.
In her free time, Shadia likes to read a lot and bake for her loved ones. She loves spending time with her family, creating memories with her boyfriend and friends, and going to the countryside where her grandfather lives to breathe some fresh air and enjoy a good time with him.
