Thank You to Kirkland and United for Staffing the November Legal Clinic!

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Thank you to the volunteers from Kirkland & Ellis and United who volunteered together at the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic in November! They assisted clients with legal issues such as divorce and medicare determinations.

PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council collaborates with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) and Legal Prep Charter Academies to host a monthly community-based clinic for the student families and neighbors of Legal Prep in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

PILI coordinates this monthly clinic, typically held on the first Tuesday of each month. If you are interested in hosting or your firm is interested in adopting a clinic date, please contact PILI Program Manager Brent Page by email or by phone at 312-832-5128.

Learn more about the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic »

Guest Post: How PILI’s Pro Bono Program Helps Those in Need

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The Honorable Lisa Wilson, Associate Judge in the Tenth Judicial Circuit and Chair of PILI’s Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, was our featured guest speaker at our Annual Pro Bono Reception last June. Below are a portion of her remarks.

I have had the privilege of working with the Public Interest Law Initiative for approximately 15 years. I had the opportunity to work with PILI during the time that I worked as a staff attorney and Managing Attorney at the Prairie State Legal Services office in Peoria. Since becoming an Associate Judge in Peoria County (the 10th Judicial Circuit), I have worked with our local bar association, the attorneys, PILI and the judiciary to establish the Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee.

The mission of PILI is to cultivate a lifelong commitment to public interest law and pro bono service within the Illinois legal community to expand the availability of legal services for individuals, families and communities in need. PILI’s Pro Bono Program works to increase the availability of pro bono legal help for those who cannot afford an attorney in Illinois by developing pro bono opportunities, offering pro bono programming and resources, cultivating best practices and celebrating the transforming, life-changing pro bono performed throughout this entire state.

There are approximately 13 million residents in the state of Illinois who live in urban, suburban and rural areas. The diversity of Illinois is reflected daily in the court system. Almost one-third of the residents live in or near poverty. While 1.7 million residents live below the federal poverty guideline (FPG), another 2.1 million live just above it. Even for those who qualify for legal services, it is not a given that they will have a legal aid lawyer representing them with their issue due to the ratio of individuals needing legal representation and the small number of legal aid attorneys available. In addition, for those individuals whose incomes are above the FPG, it is not realistic to believe that these individuals will be able to retain private counsel. The justice gap is increasing for this segment of the population because they may not have the financial resources to retain private counsel.

With this backdrop, it should be no surprise that the number of Illinois residents appearing in court without an attorney has soared. In 2015, statistics from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts showed that 93 of the 102 counties reported more than half of their civil cases had at least one self-represented litigant. These numbers mirror what is being seen nationally. In urban, suburban and rural communities throughout Illinois, more and more litigants are attending court without an attorney.

So, many of you are familiar with the problems. What are the solutions? This is where the great work of PILI comes in. Through their Pro Bono Program, they have several projects which have been started to address some of these barriers:

  • Pro Bono Initiative facilitates the sharing of best practices through pro bono resources and programming including CLEs and training.
  • Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) provides civil legal services to veterans, active duty military and their spouses and dependents.
  • Legal Help Within Reach brings attorney and law student volunteers from urban areas to volunteer at free legal clinics for low-income residents living in rural and underserved communities.
  • Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks organizes volunteer attorneys to meet with self-represented litigants at the Peoria and Tazewell County Courthouses for 30 minute appointments to help them understand and navigate the legal process, fill out forms and answer questions.
  • Conflict of Interest Pro Bono Referral Panel Pilot Program provides a referral source for Prairie State’s Peoria office to send potential clients in the 10th Judicial Circuit who have been denied services due to an existing conflict of interest.
  • Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees work with local lawyers, bar associations and judges to identify gaps in the delivery of legal services to low-income individuals and families and developing innovative approaches to filling those gaps through pro bono.

In the 10th Judicial Circuit, we are very thankful to work in partnership with the Public Interest Law Initiative in expanding the ways that we can offer pro bono to the residents in Peoria, Tazewell, Marshall, Stark and Putnam Counties. With PILI’s assistance and leadership, we have made strides in meeting the needs of those who would not otherwise have a voice in the legal system. Through their partnership, we have been able to provide the help desks in Peoria and Tazewell Counties, offer direct pro bono legal assistance to those who are not eligible to receive legal assistance through Prairie State due to a conflict and we have been able to provide training to lawyers who are interested in representing individuals with family law, guardianship, child support and expungement and sealing cases.

This is part of PILI’s guest post series. If you are interested in writing a guest post for PILI, contact us.

October Legal Prep Community Law Clinic Adopted by Brinks Gilson & Lione

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Thank you to the volunteers from Brinks Gilson & Lione who volunteered at the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic in October! They assisted clients with legal issues including eviction and adoption.

PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council collaborates with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) and Legal Prep Charter Academies to host a monthly community-based clinic for the student families and neighbors of Legal Prep in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

PILI coordinates this monthly clinic, typically held on the first Tuesday of each month. If you are interested in hosting or your firm is interested in adopting a clinic date, please contact PILI Program Manager Brent Page by email or by phone at 312-832-5128.

Learn more about the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic »

PILI to Fund $309,000 in Public Interest Law Student Internship Grants in 2019

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PILI will grant $309,000 to fund 60 Law Student Interns at 28 public interest law organizations across Illinois during the 2018-19 academic year and the summer of 2019. PILI’s Law Student Internship Program connects law students from across the country with public interest law agencies in Illinois and pays them for their work.

This funding plan reflects a new school-year Internship allocation at the Legal Aid Society. This position is funded by Judge Wayne Anderson and Justice Sheila O’Brien and will be designated the Anderson-O’Brien Named Intern. 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 Named & Honorary Internships »

PILI Interns work 400 hours during the summer or 200 hours during the school year at public interest law agencies. PILI has grown the number of Internship placements by 54% since 2011 and also raised the summer stipend from $5,000 in 2015 to its current amount of $6,000 and the school-year stipend from $2,500 to $3,000.

PILI has operated its Law Student Internship Program since 1977, and it is the only program of its kind. Students apply from law schools across the country to compete for these funded public interest law internship opportunities. The Internships provide law students with invaluable legal experience, while also giving agencies much needed support to assist more clients in need.

Internships placements are currently offered in Alton, Bloomington, Chicago, East St. Louis, Champaign, Peoria and Rock Island, Illinois. See a full list of agencies »

Guest Post: New Board President Sarah Bernstein on Getting Involved with PILI

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This is a guest post from incoming PILI Board of Directors President, Sarah Bernstein. Sarah was recently elected to a two-year term starting September 1, 2018. She leads the transactional practice of the Motor Vehicle Group at Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP. 

It is my honor to serve as the incoming President of PILI’s Board of Directors. For the next two years, I will have the privilege of working with the tremendously talented PILI staff and our exceptional Board of Directors to continue to guide PILI in pursuit of our mission and vision. I am excited for my new role and the challenges that it will bring.

As my first official act (or close to it), I encourage you to become involved with PILI, and if you are already involved with PILI, I urge you to become more involved.

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not suggest that you consider supporting PILI with a monetary donation. For those who have not heard, over the past year, in addition to increasing the number of PILI Interns and Fellows and the PILI Internship stipend and expanding the Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees, PILI has entered the area of direct services. This includes the launch of the PILI Conflict of Interest Pro Bono Referral Panel pilot program, the anticipated launch this fall of the Legal Help Within Reach project and PILI’s participation in the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network. We are thrilled about these new programs and intend to work hard to ensure their success. A donation to PILI would help support our efforts in these areas as well as help us to continue to provide quality programming in every area.

But, in addition to supporting PILI financially, there are also endless ways for you to become involved with PILI by giving of your time. I hope to see all of you at PILI events over my term. In addition to our Annual Awards Luncheon held in December and our Annual Pro Bono Reception in June, we offer a wide variety of informative and engaging pro bono forums and programming and social events to foster engagement in the pro bono community.

For example, it is not too late to register for PILI’s Illinois Forum on Pro Bono, which will be held on the afternoon of October 4th this year. If you are a PILI Alum, then we welcome your involvement in our Legal Prep Community Law Clinic or by attending one of our Alumni events. If you are located outside of Cook County, then consider volunteering to handle an Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network pro bono matter for a member of our armed forces or take a shift or two at one of our Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks at the Peoria and Tazewell County Courthouses. Participate in the soon to come Legal Help Within Reach program and volunteer at free legal clinics in rural and underserved communities.

We at PILI are committed to our mission to cultivate a lifelong commitment to public interest law and pro bono service within the Illinois legal community. We would love for you to be a part of that journey.

This is part of PILI’s guest post series. If you are interested in writing a guest post for PILI, contact us.

Introducing New Board Leadership and Members

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PILI’s Board of Directors elected Sarah Bernstein of Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP for a two-year term as Board President started on September 1, 2018. Sarah leads the transactional practice of the Firm’s Motor Vehicle Group and practices in the areas of business planning, general corporate matters and secured lending. She has served on PILI’s board since 2009 and has been serving as Board Vice President for the last two years.

Additionally, the board elected John Bourke, Attorney at Law to the position of Vice President, Daniel Lange of Vedder Price to the position of Secretary, and Kyle Petersen of Seyfarth Shaw to the position of Treasurer. Brad Lane of Brinks Gilson & Lione will serve as Immediate Past President.

The board has also elected Kathryn Shelton of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Patrick Spangler of Vedder Price, as well as two representatives from the Chicago Bar Association Board of Managers, Nina Fain of Janet Sugarman Schirn Family Trust and Federico Rodriguez of Rodriguez Legal Group.

Kathryn Shelton is the Associate Director of the Public Interest Center at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. There, she provides public interest career counseling to students and alumni as well as administers financial support programs for students and graduates working in the public sector. Prior to her role at Northwestern Law, Katie was a poverty lawyer at LAF for eight years. Katie received her Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Patrick is a Shareholder in the firm’s Labor and Employment practice area. His litigation practice focuses on complex claims arising from the employment relationship. He also provides traditional labor, employment and benefits advice to employers on day-to-day compliance and workforce change events. He has been recognized by the Legal 500 United States, Super Lawyers and Chicago Magazine, and Leading Lawyers. Patrick received his Juris Doctor from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and was a PILI Graduate Fellow at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. He also received his Bachelor of Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Federico M Rodriguez is the principal of Rodriguez Legal Group where he focuses on criminal law and personal injury. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law and his Bachelor of Science from DePaul University. Federico received the Latino Lawyer of the Year Award and the President’s Award from the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. He was also the inaugural recipient of the University of Illinois College of Law Latino/a Law Student Association Legacy Award in 2015 for his work funding a $100,000 scholarship endowment. He serves on many boards and commissions, more recently on the Chicago Bar Association’s Board of Managers and the American Bar Association’s Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities.

Nina Fain is an attorney at Janet Sugarman Schirn Family Trust. She is a member of the Chicago, Illinois State and National Bar Associations. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law and both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Northern Illinois University.

View a list of current board members »

Introducing New Alumni Network Leadership

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At the start of the new fiscal year on September 1st, PILI welcomed new leadership at the Alumni Network Leadership Council.

The new Alumni Council Chair is Emily Seymore. Emily is an associate at Faegre Baker Daniels where she advises clients through a variety of commercial litigation matters. The Chair presides over the Leadership Council, advocates for the Leadership Council’s mission, and works with Leadership Council members to plan and execute programs and events for Alumni.

The new Alumni Council Chair-Elect is Jessica Schneider. Jessica is a staff attorney at Equip for Equality in the Special Education Clinic. The Chair-Elect also helps to plan and execute programs as well as presides over meetings in the Chair’s absence. Jessica will also serve as the Alumni Council Liaison to PILI’s Board of Directors and attends the quarterly board meetings as a non-voting member and facilitates communication between the Alumni and PILI’s Board of Directors.

The new Alumni Council Vice Chair is David Scriven-Young. David is Senior Counsel in the Environmental Law, Construction and Commercial Litigation Groups at Pecker & Abramson. The Vice Chair helps to plan and execute programs as well as presides over meetings in the Chair’s and Chair-Elects absence. Dave will also serve as the Alumni Council Liaison to the Internship, Fellowship & Alumni Programs Committee of the Board and will attend meetings as a non-voting member of the Committee.

Special thanks to Charles Golbert, the Cook County Acting Public Guardian and Immediate Past Chair, for his service and leadership over the past year as Chair and for many years as an Alumni Council member.

We’re also grateful to our Alumni Council Members whose terms have come to a close including Reginald Cloyd, Jordan Heinz, Kyle Palazzolo, Elin Park, and Kate Pomper Costello. Also, thank you to our 2016 Intern Representative Megan Harkins and 2016 Fellow Representative Rebecca Canary-King, who has decided to stay on the Alumni Council.

Learn more about the Alumni Network »

Meet the rest of the Alumni Network Leadership Council »

Thank You to Reed Smith Volunteers

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On Tuesday September 11th, Reed Smith adopted the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic. Five attorneys assisted five clients with legal issues including adoption, divorce, landlord-tenant dispute and decedent’s estate.

PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council collaborates with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) and Legal Prep Charter Academies to host a monthly community-based clinic for the student families and neighbors of Legal Prep in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

PILI coordinates this monthly clinic, typically held on the first Tuesday of each month. If you are interested in hosting or your firm is interested in adopting a clinic date, please contact PILI Program Manager Brent Page by email or by phone at 312-832-5128.

Learn more about the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic »

PILI Welcomes Equal Justice Works Fellow Shelby Smith

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PILI is excited to welcome Shelby Smith, an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Deere & Company, Lane & Waterman LLP, and Riley Safer Holmes & Cancilia LLP.

Over the next two years, Shelby will be launching a new project, Legal Help Within Reach. As part of this project, Shelby is in charge of recruiting and training attorneys and law students from urban areas to volunteer at free legal clinics for low-income Illinoisans living in rural and underserved communities.

During law school, Shelby interned with the Cook County Office of the Public Guardian, the Cook County State’s Attorney, a family law firm and LAF, where she assisted in coordinating a veteran’s legal clinic on the west side of Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology at Wheaton College and her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Shelby can be reached at our Chicago office by email or at 312-832-5126.

Meet the entire PILI staff »

PILI Welcomes Equal Justice Works Fellow Shelby Smith

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PILI is excited to welcome Shelby Smith, an Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Deere & Company, Lane & Waterman LLP, and Riley Safer Holmes & Cancilia LLP.

Over the next two years, Shelby will be launching a new project, Legal Help Within Reach. As part of this project, Shelby is in charge of recruiting and training attorneys and law students from urban areas to volunteer at free legal clinics for low-income Illinoisans living in rural and underserved communities.

During law school, Shelby interned with the Cook County Office of the Public Guardian, the Cook County State’s Attorney, a family law firm and LAF, where she assisted in coordinating a veteran’s legal clinic on the west side of Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology at Wheaton College and her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Shelby can be reached at our Chicago office by email or at 312-832-5126.

Meet the entire PILI staff »