Sylvia Neil

Sylvia Neil is an attorney and adjunct professor of law at Northwestern University School of Law, where her teaching focuses on religion, law and politics.

Neil has taught courses on religious liberty, legal philosophy, gender, law & politics and legal writing. She also is founder and chair of the Project on Gender, Culture, Religion and the Law at Brandeis University.

Neil began her legal career as a poverty law litigator with Legal Assistance Foundation. She also served for many years as the executive director and legal counsel of the American Jewish Congress for the Midwest region. In that position, she litigated cases, testified before legislative bodies, authored legislation and developed initiatives positively impacting religious liberty, civil rights, women's rights and peace in the Middle East. Neil later was associate dean for external affairs and planning at the University of Chicago Law School, where she served until 2001.

Neil has been a consultant to not‐for‐profit organizations and has served on various civic and philanthropic boards. Among her many affiliations, Neil was appointed commissioner to both the Illinois and Cook County commissions for human rights.