James Soto Northwestern University School of Law; University of Chicago

James “Jimmy” Soto is a paralegal at the Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic at Northwestern University’s School of Law. He also is a Community Justice Practitioner Justice Fellow at the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. He is the longest serving exoneree in Illinois History who spent over 42 years incarcerated and was released in 2023. He is an advocate for prisoner’s rights and has over 39 years as a Jailhouse Lawyer.