Elizabeth Payne is the Legal Director at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE). Upon joining the organization, she oversaw the creation of the Victims’ Rights Representation Division, the first legal team in the state of Illinois that focused exclusively on representing sexual assault survivors with criminal cases against their perpetrators. She currently supervises motion practice, litigation, and case strategy decisions on criminal and civil cases, including orders of protection, housing, employment, and workplace accommodations.

Prior to her work at CAASE, Elizabeth was a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Special Victims Bureau of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York, where she prosecuted sexual assaults and the physical and sexual abuse of children. She is a seasoned trial attorney and has worked extensively with law enforcement officers, judges, defense attorneys, medical professionals, and social workers in the criminal field. Elizabeth also served as a law clerk with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and is a graduate of The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and The University of Chicago Law School. Elizabeth is passionate about women’s issues and focused on creating a world where gender-based violence is a thing of the past.