Thank You for a Successful Annual Awards Luncheon!

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L to R: PILI Board President Kyle A. Petersen with 2024 Award Recipients: Barry C. Taylor, Martin H. Cozzola, Priya Desai, Sara T. Ghadiri of Chapman and Cutler LLP, and PILI Executive Director Michael G. Bergmann

On December 11, 2024, nearly 450 members of the Illinois legal community gathered together to celebrate the very best aspects of the legal profession at PILI’s Annual Awards Luncheon. Thank you to all who joined us to celebrate our work and in helping to further PILI’s mission to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice.

Thanks to the support of over 50 law firms, corporations and law school sponsors as well as individual donors and supporters, we raised over $252,437 through the event to support PILI’s work across Illinois. We are incredibly grateful for the very generous and critically needed support from the Illinois legal community.

At the event, PILI also bestowed its four annual awards as follows:

  • Distinguished Intern Alumni Award: Martin H. Cozzola, Impact for Equity
  • Distinguished Fellow Alumni Award: Priya Desai, Mayer Brown LLP
  • Pro Bono Initiative Award: Chapman and Cutler LLP
  • Distinguished Public Service Award: Barry C. Taylor

Learn more about this year’s recipients » 

You can also view photos from the event here »

SAVE THE DATE: In 2025, our Annual Awards Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, December 10th from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.

Photos from the 2025 Annual Awards Luncheon

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Thank you to all the sponsors, donors, attendees and award recipients who made the 2025 Annual Awards Luncheon such a success! Photos from the event are provided below courtesy of Angela Garbot Photography.

Introducing the New Board of Directors’ Alumni Representatives

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PILI is excited to welcome Neekita Bhatia and Benjamin Halom to our Board of Directors as our new Graduate Fellow Alumni Representatives. Each year, PILI selects representatives from the most recent class of Interns and Fellows to serve on the board for a two-year term. Neekita is an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP and served as a 2024 PILI Graduate Fellow at Lawyers for the Creative Arts. Benjamin is an Associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and served as a 2024 PILI Graduate Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services.

Neekita Bhatia

Associate, Sidley Austin LLP
2024 Graduate Fellow

What have you been up to since your PILI Fellowship concluded?

Since my PILI Fellowship concluded, I joined Sidley Austin LLP as an Associate in the Global Finance practice group. Additionally, I continue to be involved in the PILI community by serving on the PILI Board as a Fellow Representative.

What was your favorite thing about being a PILI Fellow?

My favorite aspect of being a PILI Fellow at Lawyers for the Creative Arts was the opportunity to work closely with artists and arts organizations on a wide range of legal issues, ranging from intellectual property to contracts. The experience of conducting client intakes and triaging complex legal issues was incredibly rewarding. I especially valued seeing first-hand the tangible impact of our work on the lives of young artists, helping them navigate legal challenges and empowering them with the knowledge and resources to succeed in their budding arts careers.

How has your commitment to service played a role in your life and career?

Service has always been a guiding principle in my life, shaping both my personal and professional paths. Growing up, my grandparents instilled a deep sense of commitment to community service in me by involving me in their work with NGOs in India. This early exposure laid the foundation for my dedication to service. Throughout my life, I have consistently sought out ways to contribute to the various communities I was exposed to – whether it was organizing my high school’s volunteer fair in Halifax, leading a waste management study at the University of Ottawa, working with the Spark Global Philanthropic Foundation in Vancouver, and recently, supporting artists and arts organizations as a PILI Fellow in Chicago. My commitment to service has shaped my values, guided my professional choices, and inspired me to continually seek opportunities to make a positive impact. I hope to continue to contribute to the Chicago community through pro-bono work at Sidley and my involvement with the PILI Board.

Benjamin Halom

Associate, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
2024 Graduate Fellow

What have you been up to since your PILI Fellowship concluded?

I began my legal career at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as an associate in the Litigation group.

What was your favorite thing about being a PILI Fellow?

I enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with legal aid clients and to learn about the work nonprofit organizations are doing throughout the city to build community and provide services. In my PILI Fellowship at Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, I was able to travel to community sites around the city to conduct client intake and to meet the individuals responsible for keeping those sites running. It was a great chance to see the issues Chicago residents face and to meet the people working to solve them. I was fortunate to have a great team of mentors at Metropolitan Family who provided a strong introduction to public service law.

How has your commitment to service played a role in your life and career?

To me, public service is part of what it means to be a good neighbor and community member. As I move forward in my legal career, I hope to find ways to help the people around me and support community institutions that provide vital legal and nonprofit services. Serving as a Fellow Representative is part of that commitment, as is pursuing a pro bono legal practice.

PILI’s 2024 Year in Review Preview

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PILI’s mission is to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice. In 2024, our theme has focused on how we empower. At PILI, we draw on all the resources of the Illinois legal community to fill in the gaps in the delivery of legal services. To do so, we empower law students, lawyers and legal professionals to advocate for others. And we empower our clients to advocate for themselves.

Here are some highlights of how we helped others be Empowered to Advocate in 2024: 

PILI’s Law Student Internship and Graduate Fellowship Programs place law students and recent law school graduates at public interest law organizations. PILI provides funding for the work of our Interns as well as supplemental educational, networking and mentoring opportunities for both Interns and Fellows.

In the last year:

  • 70 Law Student Interns worked 24,200 hours to help 1,542 clients
  • 41 Graduate Fellows worked 12,300 hours to help 237 clients

 

In the coming year, we will grant $442,000 to fund 80 Law Student Interns at 33 public interest law agencies across Illinois in the coming year. For the 2024-2025 school-year, PILI will fund 24 Law Student Interns, 12 per semester for 200 hours with the school-year stipend set at $3,250. In Summer 2025 PILI will fund 56 Law Student Interns for 400 hours with the stipend set at $6,500.

“I’ve absolutely loved being able to connect with clients and get the experience of a practicing lawyer that I wouldn’t necessarily get from school. Being a PILI Intern has also allowed me to meet other public interest folks that share a passion for giving back to our communities.”

-2024 PILI Law Student Intern

Our Alumni Network builds and maintains the connection between past PILI Interns and Fellows and the public interest law community through educational, networking, leadership, and service opportunities. Over 5,000 PILI Law Student Interns and Graduate Fellows have gone on to join the legal profession. Through the PILI Alumni Network, they remain connected to public interest law and pro bono work. Our Alumni Network Leadership Council plans educational, networking, leadership and service opportunities throughout the year to empower Alumni to continue to serve and connect to the new classes of Interns and Fellows.

“The continued expansion of the Law Student Internship and Graduate Fellowship Programs means PILI’s Alumni Network is growing tremendously. It is exciting to think about the possibilities of a great network of lawyers with a commitment to public interest law and pro bono service and how impactful we can all be.”

-Jill E. Roberts, Chair, Alumni Network Leadership Council

Our Pro Bono Program works to increase the availability of pro bono legal help for those who cannot afford an attorney in Illinois by developing innovative pro bono opportunities, offering pro bono programming and resources, cultivating best practices, and celebrating the life-changing pro bono performed throughout the state.

In the last year:

  • 287 clients received help from 310 PILI pro bono volunteers through clinics, help desks as well as limited and extended representation
  • 661 attorneys attended CLEs sponsored or cosponsored by PILI

In 2024, PILI celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Pro Bono Initiative for the New Millennium. Our goal was to expand the amount and types of pro bono work being done by lawyers at both corporate legal departments and law firms. Now, our Pro Bono Program works to increase the availability of pro bono legal help for those who cannot afford an attorney in Illinois by developing innovative pro bono opportunities, offering pro bono programming and resources, cultivating best practices, and celebrating the life-changing pro bono performed throughout the state. 

PILI also celebrated the Fifth Anniversary as State Administrator for Illinois Free Legal Answers. Since 2019, PILI has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of Illinois Free Legal Answers where clients post civil legal questions on a secure site for volunteer lawyers to provide advice.

  • 249 Illinois Free Legal Answers volunteers answered 3,365 civil legal questions
  • Since 2019, when PILI became the state administrator, 15,843 questions have been answered on the site

“I don’t have the financial resources to pay a lawyer for all the things that I have had to go through in my difficult situation after my husband passed away. This help was a blessing for me and my family. All I can say is thank you.”

– PILI Pro Bono Client

This is just a snapshot of what PILI is already doing – the programs, networks, and opportunities we already have in place – to fulfill the promise of equal access to justice. We could not have done any of this without our statewide network of donors, volunteers and supporters. Learn more about getting involved with PILI »

Support PILI with a Year End Gift

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At PILI, we believe equal access to justice is a fundamental right and that serving those in need through public interest law and pro bono service is key to ensuring that right. Our goal is a more accessible justice system for all. As we look to an uncertain future and consider the challenges that lie ahead of us, I wanted to share some examples of how PILI’s work in 2024 has set the stage for us to stand for justice in 2025:

36,500 Hours of Legal Help & Funding for 80 Law Student Interns

In the past year, PILI Law Student Interns and Graduate Fellows provided 36,500 hours of legal services. We’ve also secured funding to support 80 Interns next year, our largest class ever. Interns come from across the country to serve in Illinois, providing critical services and contributing to urgent policy and advocacy initiatives as well. Learn more »

5 Years and Over 15,000 Questions Answered on Illinois Free Legal Answers

PILI became the administrator of Illinois Free Legal Answers, an online legal clinic for low-income Illinoisans, in August 2019. By our 5th anniversary this year, we’ve engaged hundreds of volunteers to answer 15,843 civil legal questions. It’s the most accessible way for people in Illinois who can’t afford an attorney to get help with their legal problems when they have nowhere else to turn. Learn more »

Celebrating 25 Years of Pro Bono at PILI

We called it the Pro Bono Initiative for the New Millennium, and in 1999, it was a pioneering new effort to engage law firms and corporate legal departments to increase pro bono. In the last quarter century, this program has grown exponentially, with PILI now working at the local level across the state to develop innovative pro bono opportunities, cultivate best practices, and celebrate pro bono service. Learn more »

This is just a snapshot of what PILI is already doing – the programs, networks, and opportunities we already have in place – to fulfill the promise of equal access to justice. We could not have done any of this without the support of donors like you.

One member of the PILI community explained why they support our work: “I support PILI because no public interest law agency is better at promoting volunteerism among the legal community and empowering them to provide critical legal assistance to those in need.”

PILI plays an essential role in fulfilling the promise of equal access to justice, and in the coming years, the work we do will be more urgent and necessary than ever. We’re ready to stand for justice in 2025, and we hope that you’ll join us by making a donation today.

Donate Now

With gratitude,

Michael G. Bergmann
Executive Director

What to learn about other ways to get involved with and support PILI?

PILI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and contributions are tax-deductible as allowable by law. All contributions to PILI also qualify under the Illinois Supreme Court’s Pro Bono Reporting Rule.

Thanks to Those Who Took our “5 for 5 Pledge” on Illinois Free Legal Answers

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In August, PILI celebrated the fifth anniversary since taking over the day-to-day operations of Illinois Free Legal Answers, including volunteer recruitment, management, training and support. The site was first launched in Illinois in 2017 with Illinois Legal Aid Online as the original state administrator. PILI transitioned into that role in 2019. In 2023, Illinois Free Legal Answers volunteers answered 3,565 civil legal questions to help those in need. Illinois also leads the nation with the most volunteers registered on the site. Since 2019 when PILI became the state administrator, 15,843 questions have been answered on the site. 

A project of the American Bar Association first launched in 2016, Free Legal Answers is a secure website where lower-income individuals can ask a volunteer lawyer for help with a civil legal issue. Currently, the site is active in 41 states. Qualified users post questions securely on the site and then volunteers log onto the site and select questions to answer. Over 330,000 civil legal questions have been answered across the country since the launch of the ABA Free Legal Answers. 

Illinois Free Legal Answers provides a way for attorneys to volunteer their time in the way that best fits their schedule. They can choose where and when to log in and which questions to answer. Volunteer attorneys who provide brief advice and counsel via the website are covered by professional liability insurance maintained by the ABA. 

Since becoming the state administrator, PILI has also partnered with many law firms, corporations, bar associations and law schools in Illinois to host Illinois Free Legal Answers clinics for their volunteers. PILI provides training on how to use Illinois Free Legal Answers and can also provide a CLE program with Illinois MCLE credit for volunteers. If you are interested in hosting a clinic, please email us or learn more » 

Thanks to Those Who Completed the 5 for 5 Pledge

To celebrate this milestone, we invited volunteers from across the state to take our 5 for 5 Pledge and commit to answers five civil legal questions from those in need of help through Illinois Free Legal Answers. Our special thanks to those listed below who answered five questions during this time, and our thanks to all of our volunteers from across Illinois who help those in need every day!

Akwei O Acquaye
Aly Audy
Reuben A Bernick
Christine M Bewley
Billie J Constant
Mark A Drummond
Rebecca A Fabian
Anthony Frank
Laura Gastel
Sara Ghadiri
Mitch Gilfillan
Matthew Gubernikoff
David Gui
Rich Haglund
Harold B Hilborn
Douglas C Johnson
Karen L Kapela
Jennifer Kincaid
Carson M Klarck
Benjamin Levine
Steven C Lindberg
Christopher Murphy
Barbara J O’Brien
Kyle A Peterson
Natanya Pope-Sohel
Maria R Rossi
Jonah O Roth
Maxwell Sharkey
Angelica Wawrzynek
David S Yen

Support PILI on Giving Tuesday 2024

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Giving Tuesday is December 3rd!

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Support our work on or before December 3rd with a Giving Tuesday donation.

Donate Now

PILI's mission is to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice. That's why PILI's 2024 theme is Empowered to Advocate. At PILI, we empower law students, lawyers, and legal professionals to advocate for others. And we empower our clients to advocate for themselves.

But what does this look like? How do we empower to advocate, so we can advance equal access to justice within our legal system? As part of the campaign, we asked our PILI leaders, volunteers and supporters to share why they are involved with or support PILI. Click on their image to see what they had to say:

 

If you want to be involved in empowering those advancing equal access to justice in Illinois, here are a few ways that you can join us in our work:

 

Thank you for your support of PILI’s work and for joining us as we celebrate Giving Tuesday!

Can't see the form? Click here »

Introducing the 2024 Intern & Fellow Representatives to our Alumni Network Leadership Council

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PILI is excited to welcome Ivana Bailey-Muñoz and Claire Ramsey to our Alumni Network Leadership Council as the 2024 Intern and Fellow Alumni Representatives. Each year, PILI selects representatives from the most recent class of Interns and Fellows to serve on the Council for a two-year term.

Ivana is currently a 2L at Chicago-Kent College of Law and served as a 2024 PILI Law Student Intern at the ACLU of Illinois. Claire is an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP and was a PILI Graduate Fellow in 2024 at Ascend Justice.

Ivana Bailey-Muñoz

2L, Chicago-Kent College of Law
2024 Law Student Intern

What have you been up to since your PILI Law Student Internship concluded?
Since concluding my PILI Internship, I have had the honor of serving as a Torts Teaching Assistant for Professor Smith-Drelich. In this role, I mentor and provide academic support to approximately 70 first-year law students as they embark on their legal journey. Additionally, I am privileged to serve the Chicago-Kent student body as Secretary of the Student Bar Association. This May, I will begin my role as a Summer Associate at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP. Lastly, I serve as a member of the PILI Alumni Network Leadership Council, where I contribute to the Alumni Engagement Team.

What was your favorite thing about being a PILI Law Student Intern?
I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a PILI Intern. My time at the ACLU of Illinois was both empowering and fulfilling, as I had the opportunity to engage in meaningful work and collaborate with passionate, talented individuals. The experience was truly unforgettable. Beyond my impactful summer at the ACLU, one of the highlights of being a PILI Law Student Intern was joining the extraordinary PILI Alumni Network. I connected with many inspiring professionals who have supported my professional growth and opened doors for continued development.

How has your commitment to service played a role in your life and career?
Giving back has always been a guiding principle in my life and career choices. Before attending law school, I worked as a teacher because I believed education was a powerful tool to break the cycle of poverty, as it had been in my experience. Now, as an aspiring attorney, I am committed to being a resource for my family and individuals from similar backgrounds. My ultimate professional goal is to use my skills and future resources to support organizations and programs that empower students facing the challenges I experienced growing up. Service is not just a value I hold—it’s the foundation of my aspirations and the driving force behind my professional journey.

Claire Ramsey

Sidley Austin LLP
2024 Graduate Fellow

What have you been up to since your PILI Graduate Fellowship concluded?
I recently started working in the Financial Institutions group at Sidley Austin.

What was your favorite thing about being a PILI Graduate Fellow?
My favorite part of being a PILI Fellow was the opportunity to work directly with clients and provide them with the legal support they needed to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones. It was incredibly fulfilling to see the tangible impact of my work, knowing that I was helping the community. The experience deepened my passion for domestic violence work and reinforced my commitment to advocating for those in need.

How has your commitment to service played a role in your life and career?
My commitment to service has been a cornerstone of both my personal and professional life, shaping my approach to law and the way I connect with others. It has made me a better lawyer by enhancing my ability to empathize with all clients, communicate effectively, and advocate on their behalf. It also led me to choose my firm, Sidley Austin, based on their demonstrated, genuine emphasis on pro bono work and being “of” the community, not “in” the community.