Metz has practiced law since 1978, with many gay clients. She has volunteered with numerous gay organizations.

Jill Metz’s contribution to organizations began as a volunteer at the free legal clinic at Horizons in 1978, where once a week, she would staff the drop in legal center and the call in phone lines to answer legal questions for the LGBT community members.

Jill has continued to contribute as Andersonville Chamber of Commerce board presidential, chair of the streetscape project and as a board member for eight years. Jill helped found and was the President of the Board of Andersonville Development Corporation for two years and was appointed by the Chicago City Counsel as a commissioner of Special Services Area #26 where Jill serves as Treasurer.

Jill was a member of the Coalition that passed the Human Right Act legislation, a member of the Chicago Bar Association Committee on LGBT issues and a member of the Fair Illinois Coalition working to remove from the November 2006 ballet the discriminatory referendum to define marriage as solely between a man and a woman. .

Jill’s work with the ACLU has been extensive as a member of the ACLU of Illinois advising committee on LGBT issues beginning in 1996. Jill has served on the Board of the ACLU of Illinois since 1998 as Vice President of Development and currently as the Board President of the ACLU of Illinois.

Jill Metz is a cooperating attorney with the ACLU on LGBT litigation.

Jill was Co-chair of the ACLU concert event “Girls on Top” from 1996 to 2001.

Jill Metz has volunteered countless hours for LGBT organizations and financially to organizations such as ACLU, Horizons, HRC, LCCP, Equality, and Center on Halsted.

Jill Metz was a founder of Tortoiseshell Productions a producer of Lesbian music concerts in Chicago from 1981 to 1983. The company produced concert of artists Holly Near, Cris Williamson, Ferron, Alive, Margie Adams, Ginny Cleamons, and others.

Jill was a founder of Footsteps Theater Company, who in the 1980’s produced the Lesbian play Last Summer at Blue Fish Cove by Jane Chambers. This play had never been previously produced in Chicago, but had run off-Broadway in New York starring Jean Smart. Footsteps produced this play for a sold out 12 week run bringing to Chicago one of the best written and critically acclaimed Lesbian themed play. Footsteps went on to produce plays for six seasons, many with Lesbian characters and yearly did a Shakespeare play with all female casts.