Volunteers Needed at Legal Advice Clinic in Peoria

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Attorney and paralegal volunteers are needed to staff a free legal clinic in Peoria and provide one-time advice.

When: Saturday, February 11th from 8:45 am to 12:00 pm
Where: Prairie State Legal Services, 331 Fulton Street, Suite 600 in Peoria

What volunteers WILL be doing:
  • Answering questions and providing information to low-income clients on civil legal matters.
  • Working with Prairie State Legal Services staff who can answer any questions.
  • Receiving coverage under Prairie State’s malpractice insurance.
  • Enjoying free breakfast.
  • Providing a meaningful service for people with legal needs who can not afford a lawyer.
  • Spending time with local attorneys and paralegals from the Peoria County Bar Association.
What volunteers WILL NOT be doing:
  • Taking cases or bringing home work.
  • Representing clients in court.
  • Working on cases that involve a criminal or traffic violation.

To volunteer, please contact Prairie State Pro Bono Coordinator Kate Whetstone by email or by phone at 309-674-9831 ext. 4005.

This program is sponsored by Prairie State Legal Services, the Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, the Immigration Project and the Peoria County Bar Association.

Volunteers Needed for Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks in the Tenth Judicial Circuit in 2017

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During a 2 hour shift, volunteers meet with self-represented litigants in family law matters for 30 minute appointments to help them understand and navigate the legal process, fill out forms and answer questions. Our goal is to have at least one volunteer per 2 hour shift. PILI can provide malpractice insurance to help desk volunteers.

The help desk in Peoria County is held at the courthouse from 10:00 a.m. until noon on the 2nd Wednesday and 3rd Thursday of each month. This help desk focuses mainly on family law matters.

The help desk in Tazewell County is held at the courthouse from 10:00 a.m. until noon on the 2nd and 3rd Fridays of each month. This help desk focuses on family law, eviction, mortgage foreclosure and orders of protection.

Sign Up for the Help Desks »

Please contact Michael Bergmann by email or at 312-832-5129 for more information.

Learn more about the Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee »

Support PILI with a Year-End Gift

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What motivates your commitment to justice?

At PILI, we believe that justice is a fundamental right, and that everyone who needs help with their legal problems should be able to get it, regardless of their income level. The work we are doing to expand the availability of legal services for people, families and communities in need is more important than ever, and we couldn’t do it without your support.

roundtable-croppedEvery day and across the state of Illinois, PILI is working to make justice a reality for people in need. PILI Interns help secure safe housing for low-income families, or educational opportunities for special needs children. PILI Fellows help immigrants facing deportation or minorities facing discrimination. PILI Alumni across the globe serve in a wide range of capacities to help advance legal protections for vulnerable populations. And volunteers through PILI’s Pro Bono Initiative Program staff help desks, legal fairs and clinics to provide free legal services in areas of the state where access to help is severely limited.

These are just some examples of how PILI mobilizes law students, lawyers and legal professionals at any stage of their careers to expand access to justice for everyone. Earlier this month at our Annual Awards Luncheon, one of our Distinguished Alumni Award recipients said that the system PILI has created is “more than the sum of its parts. It is a movement.” Through all of these individual Interns, Fellows, Alumni and volunteers, we strive to build a culture of service in the legal profession to ensure that our commitment to justice is not just a dream, but a reality.

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) | Awards Luncheon
For nearly 40 years, PILI has cultivated a commitment to public interest law and pro bono service in the Illinois legal community. We have grown from being an Internship program for law students to being a hub for legal aid and pro bono in Illinois. I invite you to read more about PILI’s recent accomplishments in our 2016 Year in Review.

You can be a part of this movement, a part of this legacy of service, by making a donation today. 

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PILI Welcomes New Administrative Assistant, Karen Lazcano

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PILI is excited to welcome Karen Lazcano as our new Administrative Assistant.

Karen ensures the efficient day-to-day operations of PILI and provides support for our programs and staff.

Karen graduated from Yale University in May 2016 with a degree in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration. During her time at Yale, Karen was an active member of La Casa Cultural, the Latinx Cultural Center at Yale. She is the founder and past president of LWAY: Latina Women at Yale. Karen has previously interned at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a part of the inaugural class for the Women in Politics Fellowship at Yale, which funded her summer internship with the Office of Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez.

Meet the entire PILI staff »

Learn more about PILI »

2016 Distinguished Intern Alumni Award: Emily L. Seymore

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seymore-emilyEmily Seymore was a PILI Law Student Intern at LAF in 2009. Formerly a social worker, Emily has always had a passion for serving others. As a student at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law she represented prisoners in Malawi with the International Human Rights Clinic at the Bluhm Legal Clinic and interned for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5.

Since joining Paul Hastings LLP, she has dedicated substantial time to a wide range of pro bono matters through the firm’s pro bono initiatives. She has represented pro bono clients in criminal court, helped individuals from Ethiopia obtain asylum, and ensured students with disabilities received proper special education services.

In addition to her pro bono cases, Emily assisted the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice analyze best practices to improve data collection in the Cook County Circuit Courts. She is a member of their Board of Directors and is the incoming chair of their Administration of Justice Committee.

She remains active at Northwestern, serving as a facilitator for Northwestern’s Engage Chicago program, where she designed and implemented a Law & Social Policy Track for students interested in pursuing legal or other advocacy career paths.

Emily is also an active member of PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council and leads the Alumni Fundraising Team.

“Emily is part of the next generation of lawyers who are not just talking about problems with our courts, but who is working to bring about systemic reform. She is dedicated to bringing about courts that are fair and effective for all people, and I am proud of the fact that she has chosen Chicago Appleseed to be one of her pro bono activities.”
– Malcolm Rich, Executive Director of Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice

Learn about the recipients of PILI’s other 2015 Awards »

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

2016 Distinguished PILI Fellow Alumni Award: Kristen E. Hudson

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kristen-hudsonKristen Hudson was a PILI Graduate Fellow at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services in 2003. Since then, she has stayed involved with CVLS as a volunteer and board member, currently serving as the immediate Past President and chair of the Board Development Committee.

Over the last 13 years, Kristen has handled many pro bono cases for CVLS. She represented litigants in family law disputes, served as guardian ad litem in adult and minor guardianship matters, and has represented low-income homeowners in the Circuit Court of Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program.

In 2014, Kristen chaired the CVLS 50th Anniversary Gala. This year, she was on the host committee for Illinois Legal Aid Online’s 6th Annual Fundraising Benefit, and has served on the host committee for the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Casino Legale.For the last four years, she has assisted with the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Investing in Justice Campaign.

Prior to attending law school, Kristen taught high school Drama and French. In 2003, she graduated magna cum laude from The John Marshall Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. As Principal and General Counsel at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., Kristen’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and she has won several high-stakes legal challenges in courtrooms across the nation. She is an accomplished writer and frequent speaker and is an adjunct professor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and The John Marshall Law School.

Earlier this year, Kristen was honored with the Chicago Bar Association’s Alta May Hulett Award, which recognizes one young female lawyer each year who has demonstrated a sustained, active commitment to the advancement of women. She was also named one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch” by Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

“Kristen has a heart of gold and the tenacity of a tiger. A true believer in pro bono, she clearly has a lifetime commitment to it. She is an excellent lawyer and represents the best of our profession.”
– Margaret Benson, Executive Director at CVLS

Learn about the recipients of PILI’s other 2016 Awards »

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

2016 Pro Bono Initiative Award: Pro Bono Network

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Six years ago, a group of 10 non-practicing attorneys decided they wanted to find a way to give back to their community. This group were mostly women at home who had put their practices on hold to raise their families, but they knew their legal skills could make a difference. They came together to work on one pro bono project, and the Pro Bono Network was born.

This small group of volunteers grew exponentially. Most of the attorneys who joined the network had not volunteered before, lacking ties to the formal legal community and an obvious way to get involved. The Pro Bono Network provided the structure and support to activate this valuable group of volunteers and build capacity at legal aid organizations to provide legal services for more people in need.

PBN works with existing organizations to develop pro bono projects that fit the unique situations of their volunteers. Most of the pro bono projects can be done between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. while children are at school, and the work is often done in pairs in case one volunteer has an unexpected conflict, like a sick child.

Since that small group met for one project, they have grown into a community of 200 volunteers attorneys from all kinds of employment situations, partnering with 10 legal service agencies to provide over 8,000 hours of legal services to more than 1,000 clients in need.

“PBN has carved a niche for itself in expanding pro bono services through its ability to connect talented, service-minded attorneys with limited availability, with substantive volunteer opportunities they may not have otherwise discovered, such as Prairie State’s telephone counseling program. Prairie State is proud of its partnership with PBN and we look forward to expanding our collaboration to further our common goal of increasing access to justice for our clients.”
– Cindy Matre, Prairie State Legal Services

Learn about the recipients of PILI’s other 2016 Awards »

Read more Pro Bono Spotlights »

2016 Distinguished Public Service Award: Harold C. Hirshman

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hirshman_harold_color-1273From his time in law school throughout his nearly five decades as an attorney at Dentons US LLP, Harold Hirshman has been a tireless advocate for underrepresented populations. His extensive pro bono work has helped give a voice to the voiceless, and a chance for justice to those whom society often overlooks.

A 1969 graduate of The University of Chicago Law School, Harold represented student protesters in front of a disciplinary council while he was still a student. In 1973, he sued the Navy on behalf of two lesbian women who were being wrongfully discharged. In 1984, he represented Planned Parenthood arguing their ads should be allowed on Chicago Public Transit. He also sued the FBI for providing a gun, car and driver to assist in the murder of a young drug runner. He has represented the American Jewish Congress challenging the display of crèches on public property, has filed several fair housing suits against the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), and has represented numerous prisoners in individual actions against the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Recently, Harold worked for seven years on a class action lawsuit, Rasho v. Walker, to improve the treatment of thousands of prisoners with mental illnesses currently incarcerated through the Illinois state correctional system. In 2015, the case reached a settlement that will dramatically improve conditions for this underrepresented population, with $50 million in funding for better treatment options and facilities.

Harold was awarded the Edward Lewis II Pro Bono Service award by The Chicago Bar Foundation in 2005.

“Harold Hirshman is that rare attorney – an extraordinary litigator who also has a deep compassion for the disenfranchised. In the Rasho case alone, Harold’s work will result in the dramatic improvement of the lives of thousands of prisoners with mental illness, who had previously been denied critical mental health treatment while living in deplorable conditions.”
– Barry C. Taylor, VP for Civil Rights and Systemic Litigation at Equip for Equality

Learn about the recipients of PILI’s other 2015 Awards »

PILI Alumni from Kirkland & Ellis Volunteer at Legal Prep Clinic

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Thank you to Kirkland & Ellis LLP for adopting the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic last Tuesday, November 15th. PILI Alumni Ashley Kirkwood and Katherine Rhoades and PILI Alumni Network Leadership Council Chair Jordan Heinz came to volunteer. PILI is so grateful for their support and their work for people in need.

This is a monthly clinic hosted by PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council at Legal Prep Charter Academies in conjunction with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. CVLS refers clients from the Garfield Park neighborhood with civil legal matters, and firms with PILI Alumni can adopt an evening of the clinic and volunteer.

This is the second time Kirkland has adopted the clinic and we are grateful for their commitment to PILI and pro bono.

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If your firm is interested in adopting an evening of the clinic, please contact Executive Director Michael Bergmann by email or by phone at 312-832-5129.

Learn more about the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic »

Learn more about PILI’s Alumni Network »

PILI Celebrates National Pro Bono Week Across the State

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October 23-29 was National Pro Bono Week, and PILI hosted or co-sponsored at least one event through all six of the Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees. Together, over 300 attorneys across the state celebrated Pro Bono Week with PILI.

Thank you to all the event co-sponsors and committees, and to Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation and Prairie State Legal Services for making Pro Bono Week 2016 such a success!

View a full list of our 2016 Pro Bono Week events here »

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