Vedder Price attorneys Jeffrey C. Davis, Ryan D. Moore and Caitlin C. Podbielski are providing pro bono legal assistance to Cooperation Operation, a group of “social and food justice activists” who are working to create a cooperatively run urban garden on an abandoned lot in Chicago’s historic Pullman neighborhood. The garden will be built on the former site of a chemical disposal factory for Sherwin-Williams that was shut down more than 30 years ago. The lot includes a 23,000-square-foot concrete pad where the group hopes to install raised vegetable beds and a two-acre field where volunteers will plant a variety of wildflowers. The wildflowers, indigenous to the Chicago area, will work to extract large amounts of contaminants from the soil. The goal of Cooperation Operation is to provide residents on the city’s South Side with access to fresh and organically grown fruits and vegetables.

The Vedder Price team is helping the group apply for 501(c)(3) status, as well as advising on other general corporate matters.

To learn more about Cooperation Operation and its mission, please click here.