Legal clinic honors attorney Avram Sacks

Justice is what motivates attorney Avram Sacks. His dedication to it led him to a career in law, championing the individual against a Goliath, the Social Security administration. It is fitting that he be honored for his dedicated service to our most vulnerable.

Sacks began volunteering with the JUF Evelyn R. Greene Legal Services program several years ago. The clinic, along with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, honored him at a virtual luncheon in November for his dedication and exceptional pro bono work.

When asked why he volunteers, he responded “…it is a privilege to participate and do good.” Ever committed to service, Sacks is also a board member of Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago.

Sacks, a nationally recognized expert on the Social Security administration, specializes in unraveling errors that harm the most vulnerable.

Particularly egregious to Sacks is when Social Security assesses “overpayments” to Holocaust survivors because an agent wrongfully determined their reparation payments from Germany should be counted as income. This error puts the elder over the meager allowable threshold for income, and the agency demands past benefits be returned.

Sacks knows reparations are never to be counted as income. “The people genuinely need and deserve their benefits,” Sacks said. Combatting and overturning such administrative errors can make the difference between stability and ruin for his clients.

“Avram works tirelessly to secure benefits for the clients he represents in the clinic,” said Sima Blue, JUF Evelyn R. Greene Legal Services Program Coordinator. “Many of them are at a disadvantage owing to language differences, age, and disability. He is somewhat disappointed that he has not had the opportunity to change things on the proportion of a class action, but I remind him that he has changed the lives forever of many of his clients.”

Jessica Rhoades is Legal Liaison for the JUF Evelyn R. Greene Legal Clinic.