Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton Joining Annual Pro Bono Reception

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We are excited to announce that the first stop on the Annual Pro Bono Reception’s Virtual Pro Bono Tour will be in Springfield to visit Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton! Lieutenant Governor Stratton is a PILI Alum, having done a PILI Law Student Internship at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. She also leads the Justice, Equity and Opportunity Initiative, including chairing the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, of which PILI is an inaugural grantee. We are excited to have her join us for this event!

In her role, Lieutenant Governor Stratton chairs the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, the Military Economic Development Council and the Illinois River Coordinating Council. Lieutenant Governor Stratton currently serves on the Executive Committee of the National Lieutenant Governors Association as the Treasurer. Previously, she represented the 5th District in the Illinois House of Representatives and her first elected office was serving as Chair of the Kenwood Academy Local School Council.

Lieutenant Governor Stratton’s entire career has focused on bringing people together, building consensus, and solving problems. She started her own consulting firm focused on alternative dispute resolution and served as a mediator, arbitrator and administrative law judge for several government agencies. Lieutenant Governor Stratton previously served as Director of the Center for Public Safety and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, and as a Deputy Hearing Commissioner for the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection, all with a focus on improving public safety and building stronger communities.

As a lifelong advocate for youth and creating safe spaces for our young people, Lieutenant Governor Stratton is a restorative justice practitioner and trained peace circle keeper. She was also a founding board member of the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and served on the Board of Directors of the Juvenile Protective Association.

Lieutenant Governor Stratton was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She is the proud graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and DePaul University College of Law. She and her husband Bryan live in the Bronzeville community and have four daughters. And when she can find a bit of free time, she enjoys going to concerts, a good documentary, and training for marathons and triathlons.

You can join us and Lieutenant Governor Stratton on June 16th at noon for the Virtual Annual Pro Bono Reception!

Zurich North America Sponsors First Named PILI Internship

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Zurich North America, a provider of insurance products and services to businesses and individuals, is sponsoring its first Named PILI Internship in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the company’s pro bono program.

The sponsored Intern will work at Equip for Equality, a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the human and civil rights of children and adults with disabilities in Illinois.

“Investing in a law student’s future through a PILI Internship naturally complements our legal team’s pro bono work,” Zurich North America Chief Legal Officer Laura Lazarczyk said. “We have volunteered with Equip for Equality since shortly after beginning our pro bono program, and so it’s particularly meaningful to support a law student’s training there.”

Established in 2011, Zurich North America’s pro bono program engages legal professionals across the company who provide a broad range of pro bono services, including advising nonprofits, representing individuals in immigration proceedings, drafting estate planning documents, and fielding intake calls for Equip for Equality’s Special Education Helpline.

“We are thrilled and grateful to have the support of Zurich North America for our Law Student Internship Program,” PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann said. “As they celebrate the 10th anniversary of their pro bono program, we are proud to partner with them to advance equal access to justice.”

PILI designates a number of Named and Honorary Interns each year, thanks to special funding commitments made by individual and organizational champions for public interest law.

Learn more about Zurich North America »

Learn more about PILI’s Named and Honorary Internships »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Usama Ibrahim, 2020 Graduate Fellow

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PILI is excited to welcome Usama Ibrahim to our Alumni Network Leadership Council as the 2020 Graduate Fellow Alumni Representative. Each year, PILI appoints one Intern and one Fellow from the most recent class to serve on the Council for a two-year term. Usama Ibrahim is a first-year associate at McDermott Will & Emery and was a 2020 Fellow at Legal Aid Chicago.

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

Since my Fellowship last summer, I’ve had the honor of continuing to do impactful and consequential work. As a first-year associate at McDermott Will & Emery, I’ve been blessed with an incredibly supportive environment of mentors who are interested in my success as a person, and as a litigator. Through my affiliation with McDermott, I’ve had the chance to work on a variety of pro bono matters including the creation of a not-for-profit for an aspiring artist and to help support an international charity in completing annual filings. Additionally, I’ve been invited to work on a case that I had actually studied in law school. Though certainly a rare privilege in any context, this case is of particular importance to me as it explores the contours of qualified immunity on Transportation Security Administration officers. At a time when qualified immunity has gripped the nation’s attention, I’m grateful to be part of a courageous movement to hold local, state, and federal officials responsible for their actions.

What was your favorite thing about being a PILI Fellow?

My most treasured experiences of being a PILI Fellow stem from the nature of direct advocacy and the relationship that one forms with the clients. By securing a victory for a client, you’ve immediately improved their condition. For some clients, that meant being separated from an abusive partner. For others, it meant being protected from harassment. To watch clients in tears, and to be in tears with them, celebrating a professional and personal victory is an unparalleled reminder that this work matters. That it will forever matter. That we have a responsibility, regardless of sector and seniority, to commit some of our time to public service and to aid those who are less privileged than ourselves. Every day as a PILI Fellow was a reminder of that reality.

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

I would not be who I am today without the selfless service of others. In appreciation of the sacrifices of my parents, teachers, and community leaders, I emulate and honor their service by finding acts of service in every action that I pursue. From thanking the postal worker who tirelessly delivers packages to traveling to Tijuana, Mexico at the height of the border crisis to help refugees seek asylum, there are avenues for us all to incorporate service into our daily lives.

As an aspiring member of the legal profession, I sought to take advantage of as many opportunities to assist others. When Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, my colleagues and I at the law school mobilized a crew of volunteers to aid victims in that time of crisis. When there was an uptick of reported hate crimes, I worked at the State of Illinois Human Rights Commission and reviewed civil rights complaints. As the child of two educators, I recognized the value of education and pursued volunteer opportunities with Street Law in order to  combat misinformation and empower young people with knowledge, resources and skills to make informed decisions. Each experience was not only an opportunity to hone my advocacy skills, but an opportunity to serve others. As someone who has now been privileged with membership to the bar, I commit to utilizing that privilege to serving others.

Read more Alumni Spotlights »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Gabriel Lara, 2020 Graduate Fellow

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PILI is excited to welcome Gabriel Lara to our Board of Directors as the 2020 Graduate Fellow Alumni Representative. Each year, PILI appoints one Intern and one Fellow from the most recent class to serve on the board for a two-year term. Gabriel Lara is a first-year associate at Chapman and Cutler and was a 2020 Fellow at Ascend Justice.

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

After my PILI Fellowship concluded in the Fall of 2020, I continued volunteering with Ascend Justice until December 2020. Shortly after, in January 2021, I began working for my firm.

What was your favorite thing about being a PILI Fellow?

My favorite thing about being a PILI Fellow was the ability to interact with incredibly dedicated individuals providing life-saving services. As the PILI Fellow at Ascend Justice, I had the opportunity to work with, and learn from, individuals across the agency that spent day after day supporting their clients as they navigated complex, and at-times, emotionally taxing proceedings. Throughout the Fellowship, I supported both the Emergency Order of Protection (EOP) Division as well as the Extended Services Division where I worked on a range of tasks, from monitoring the EOP hotline to preparing VAWA/UVISA applications.

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

My commitment to services is deeply rooted in my life and career. I have often sought out opportunities to give back to vulnerable communities through nonprofit work. My passion for nonprofit work stretches back to my years as an undergraduate in the Boston area, and continued throughout law school. Now, as an attorney, I look forward to continuing this important work through pro bono opportunities.

Read more Alumni Spotlights »

Spotlighting Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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To recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, PILI will be spotlighting a few of the many Asian American and Pacific Islander attorneys who had a significant impact on equal access to justice in the United States. Each week, we will spotlight one of the influential attorneys below. We hope you will join us in recognizing the life, work, and legacies of Hong Yon Chen, Dalip Singh Saund, Patsy Mink and Laura Ch-Yu Liu.

Hong Yon Chen was born in Guangdong, China around 1859. Later in life, in 1872, Chen emigrated to the United Stated under the Chinese Educational Mission and attended school in Massachusetts. Becoming the school’s first Chinese graduate, Chen would go on to attend Columbia Law School in 1883. Upon graduation, Chen faced difficulties trying to gain admission to the bar due to the Chinese Exclusion Act. He fought for two years to take the bar, emphasizing his desire to practice law in New York to act as a legal representative who can communicate in a client’s own language. Finally, Chen was granted a naturalization certificate by the state of New York and took and passed the bar exam. In 1888, he became the first Chinese American lawyer in the United States. Learn more about Hong Yon Chen.

Dalip Singh Saund was born in 1899 in Punjab, India where he would be raised, attend University, and take part in the movement for Indian independence. In 1920, he attended the University of California, Berkeley to earn a PhD in mathematics. In California, Saund fought for people who are of South Asian decent to be able to become naturalized American citizens. Three years after congress passed the Luce-Celler Act in 1946, Saund became a U.S. citizen. It was shortly after that Saund ran for judgeship. He faced fierce racial and religious discrimination during his run, but ultimately won by 13 votes. He served as a judge for four years, at which point Saund then moved to enter congress in 1956. He successfully ran in his home district, crediting his win to the farmers and small business owners in his district. He went on to serve three terms in Congress as the first Asian American, first Indian American, and first Sikh ever elected. He is known as a supporter of small farmers’ rights and of civil rights legislation. Learn more about Dalip Singh Saund.

Patsy Mink was born in Paia, Hawaii in 1927. She attended the University of Chicago School of Law and graduated in 1951. When Mink passed the bar exam in her home state of Hawaii, she became the first Japanese American woman to be admitted to the bar there. She faced discrimination while attempting to find a job, and ultimately started her own legal practice. She practiced law in Hawaii and later decided to run for Hawaii State Senate and was elected in 1962. Shortly after, in 1964, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman of color elected in the body as well as the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress. Mink went on to serve six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, fighting for gender and racial equality throughout her work. In 1974, she helped pass the Women’s Educational Equity Act. Additionally, Mink was one of the original authors and sponsors of Title IX. Upon her passing, it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act to honor her contributions. Learn more about Patsy Mink.

Laura Ch-Yu Liu was born in Carbondale, Illinois in 1966. Her parents were Chinese immigrants, and she grew up as a native Mandarin speaker. Liu completed her legal education at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and received her JD in 1991. Liu went on to practice civil litigation in the Chicago area until 2010, at which time she was appointed to the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County, being the first Chinese American woman appointed. Liu served on the Illinois Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission and helped to establish rules about providing qualified interpreters and adding signage to court houses in different languages. When reflecting on her work with self-represented litigants in the circuit court’s Chancery division she said, “This may be the 100th case you’ve heard at the end of the day, but it is this borrower’s first and only case. It’s their most important case, and their only case in front of you.” In 2014, Liu became the first Chinese American appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court where she served until her passing after a five-year battle against breast cancer. Liu is not only remembered for her incredible contributions to removing language barriers for those interacting with the legal system, but also for her trailblazing achievements as a Chinese American woman judge in Illinois. Learn more about Laura Ch-Yu Liu.

Our country has benefitted from the work of these attorneys and many other Asian American and Pacific Islander attorneys who have paved the way, and continue to pave the way, for more equal access to justice for all.

Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: Highlights from the Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees Summit

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On Thursday, April 15th PILI hosted a virtual summit of its Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee leadership. PILI’s Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees strive to increase equal access to justice by promoting and enhancing pro bono legal services within a specific judicial circuit and are led by local pro bono leaders in the community.

In addition to the chairs and PILI staff, representatives from partner legal aid agencies were in attendance as was Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke. The group discussed how the work of pro bono had been affected during the pandemic and expectations for legal aid after the pandemic was over.

First, Chief Justice Anne Burke addressed the group, noting the importance of pro bono work and legal aid. She expressed how, during this time of uncertainty, the work of pro bono lawyers is more important than ever. Then, each committee chair reported on the work of their committee over the previous year.

Next, the group discussed how the COVID-19 Pandemic had changed the delivery of pro bono legal services. Many expected that virtual court would likely continue in certain situations, especially in rural areas, for both pro bono and paying clients. Attendees noted that technology had at times proved difficult, which would need to be addressed if virtual court were to continue.

Another development had been the emphasis on new, virtual, pro bono opportunities. The group hoped the new focus on virtual legal services would unlock a pool of volunteers who may have not had time to volunteer in person, but felt comfortably doing so virtually. Opportunities such as online dispute resolution (ODR) and Illinois Free Legal Answers allowed for attorneys to get involved from their offices or homes.

Looking beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic, the group discussed major pro bono trends. Several attendees noted a need for more emphasis on limited scope representation. Even though the new rule has been in place for several years, attendees noted that they had rarely seen it in use. While discussing possible reasons why, attendees noted confusion around the rule and difficulty in setting up a limited scope relationship. Attendees agreed that this could be a focus of the Committees in the future.

PILI is so grateful to those who attended the summit and for the work and commitment of the volunteers on PILI’s Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees.

Learn more about PILI’s Pro Bono Program »

PILI Celebrates National Volunteer Month

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National Volunteer Month - Thank you to all our amazing volunteers who help to increase equal access to justice!As part of National Volunteer Month, we want to express our gratitude to the many volunteers who help make equal access to justice a reality in Illinois! Over the last year, 80 attorneys participated in one of PILI’s Pro Bono Opportunities and 266 attorneys answered questions on Illinois Free Legal Answers. Many others have volunteered by serving on one of our Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees, presenting at CLEs or our educational seminars, or serving as advisors for PILI Interns and Fellows. Each of these individuals contribute to a legal community with a deeply rooted culture of service to best help people, families and communities in need.

We asked a few of our volunteers about their pro bono experience, and this is what they said:

Jennifer Bonesteel

Jennifer Bonesteel headshot“Volunteering during the pandemic has been eye-opening. There have been so many problems that have arisen for people in their everyday lives and there’s so much more to be done! People need more help both for their physical and mental health during these times and it makes you realize people need to volunteer more than ever!

I like volunteering because it helps reconnect me to the reason I became an attorney – to feel like I’m helping and making a positive difference in my community. It also gives me the chance to discover new legal issues I don’t deal with in my everyday career. People should volunteer for whatever reason motivates them, whether it’s to help, to feel good, to think outside the box, to express their patriotism, or even just to get a break from the everyday routine things they do.”

Jean Liu

Jean Liu headshot“Attorneys are uniquely situated to help others navigate and access legal information, resources, and assistance. In this spirit, I feel personally obligated to help low-income Illinoisans and am grateful to have Illinois Free Legal Answers as a platform to do so. I volunteer with Free Legal Answers because my responses to questions posed by users on this platform are potentially life changing.”

During National Volunteer Month and every month, we are grateful for our pro bono volunteers!

Learn more about PILI’s Pro Bono Opportunities »

Abigail Causer Joins PILI as New Managing Attorney

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PILI is thrilled to welcome Abigail Causer, who joined the PILI team as a Managing Attorney and is based in Champaign.

Abigail Causer will be responsible for helping PILI to expand and enhance pro bono legal assistance in the southern part of Illinois by overseeing the work of PILI’s Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees, Illinois Free Legal Answers, and PILI’s participation in the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) in that region. Most recently, Abigail was an Assistant Public Defender with the Champaign County Public Defender’s Office. In law school, she was a 711 Intern with the Department of Children and Family Services, and both a Research Assistant for Professor Andrew Leipold and a 711 Senior Law Student at the Family Advocacy Clinic at the University of Illinois College of Law. Abigail received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Illinois State University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Ten Thousand Villages Champaign Store. Abigail is admitted to the practice of law in the State of Illinois. She can be reached by email.

With Abigail’s addition, we are taking it as an opportunity to further organize our statewide efforts. Jessica Schneider, PILI’s other Managing Attorney, and Abigail will work closely together. Jessica will oversee PILI’s Northern Region and Abigail will oversee PILI’s Southern Region. With the additional staffing and this structure, we believe we will be able to accomplish even more in our effort to enhance and expand pro bono in Illinois in partnership with all of our organizational and individual partners across the state.

PILI is grateful for the recent Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) grant which provided the majority of funding for this new position.

Meet all of PILI’s staff here »