PILI Announces $257,500 in Public Interest Law Student Internship Grants for 2016

Posted on by

PILI has announced $257,500 in grants to 26 public interest law organizations across Illinois in fiscal year 2016. These grants will provide stipends for 55 PILI Law Student Interns during the 2015-16 academic year and the summer of 2016 through PILI’s Law Student Internship Program. Students apply from law schools across the country to compete for these funded public interest law internship opportunities. Recipients work 400 hours during the summer or 200 hours during the school year serving low-income and underrepresented individuals and families with legal needs.

This year, PILI is raising its summer Intern stipend for the first time in 10 years. Summer Interns will now receive $5,500 for their work, an increase of $500 over previous years. PILI will raise the summer stipend again in 2018, for a total stipend amount of $6,000.

“At PILI, we’re not just funding a one-time service opportunity. We are helping launch the next generation of leaders in public interest law,” explains PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann. “We committed ourselves to raising the amount of the Intern stipend so that more law students can gain the skills, experience and networks they need to build successful careers in the public interest without adding to their law school debt.”

This is the largest amount of money that PILI has ever committed to Internship funding, and reflects not only the increase in stipend but also new Internship positions in Chicago, Alton and Rock Island.

PILI has been operating its Law Student Internship Program since 1977, and is the only program of its kind that attracts law students from across the country to serve at legal service organizations in Illinois. In addition to providing the funding for Intern stipends, PILI also offers robust educational programming and networking opportunities for Interns. The program helps PILI’s partner legal service organizations serve more clients and increase their impact while also helping law students develop their legal and client interaction skills, build their professional networks, and strengthen their commitment to public interest law and service.

Learn more about PILI’s Law Student Internship Program »

Thanks to Brinks Gilson & Lione for Adopting the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic in September!

Posted on by
News Post

Clinic Participants (from left to right): Femi Masha (PILI Alum), Brad Lane (PILI Board Vice President), Jason Schigelone, Daniel Parrish (PILI Alum), Michael Bergmann (PILI Executive Director), Andrew McElligott, and Katie Pieper (PILI Program Manager)

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS), Legal Prep Charter Academies and PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council are partnering to provide the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic, a monthly community-based clinic for the student families and neighbors of Legal Prep in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

Brinks Gilson & Lione adopted our clinic on September 8th, and 5 volunteer lawyers from the firm, including Board Vice President Brad Lane and 2 PILI Alumni, assisted clients in adoption and family law cases. Thanks to the attorneys at Brinks who came to volunteer!

If your firm is interested in adopting a clinic, please contact Program Manager Katie Pieper by email or at 312-832-5128.

Learn more about the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: April Faith-Slaker, 2006 Law Student Intern

Posted on by

April Faith-Slaker 2

Not all legal aid attorneys work on cases with clients in the courtroom. For legal aid to be effective, someone needs to figure out what works and what doesn’t and April Faith-Slaker is committed to that work. She helps to make access to justice a reality for everyone by investing her efforts in research and evaluation, policy work and service to low-income and underrepresented populations. She began as a PILI Intern in 2006 at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, and now works as the Director of the Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives at the American Bar Association.

April’s PILI Internship at CVLS gave her valuable experience she continues to draw from. “Being able to meet with clients, draft pleadings, and go to court on a 711 license was an incredibly valuable part of my law school experience and stands out in my mind more than any of the classes I took,” she remembers.

Those hands-on experiences were a big part of April’s Internship. “I remember feeling a combination of gratitude and disbelief at how much trust was put in me by the clients,” she said. “It was very humbling to be put in the position where people were looking to me for help, and having the responsibility to then figure out how I could best help them.”

That drive to figure out how to best help people inspired April to focus her efforts on research and evaluations of local, state and national policy. April graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School in 2007, and began working at the Center for Children, Families and the Law at the University of Nebraska. She went on to earn a Master of Arts in Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University, which she felt was a natural next step in her exploration of law and policy. As she explained, “My master’s work was specifically on the translation of social science information into the juvenile justice system.”

April then worked on nationwide policy research at the ABA before returning to Nebraska as the Manager of Research and Evaluation at Legal Aid of Nebraska. After nearly two years, she came back to the ABA in June to direct their Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives.

Her initial courtroom experience as a PILI Intern informs much of the research and policy work she does now, and gave her a strong foundation on which she has built her career. “The PILI Internship gave me my first hands-on experience in the courtroom, and I’ll always really value that. Having chosen to pursue a career that is more research oriented, with an eye towards national policy, those first on-the-ground experiences have really resonated with me,” she said. “I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing now without having had those client-interaction and courtroom experiences that I was first exposed to at CVLS.”

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Jajah Wu, 2010 Graduate Fellow

Posted on by

Jajah Wu

In 2010, Jajah Wu completed her PILI Graduate Fellowship at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights at the University of Chicago Law School, sponsored by Schiff Hardin. While she had worked at the Young Center during law school, her Fellowship gave Jajah a chance to immerse herself in the role of a Child Advocate. “I worked one-on-one with the most vulnerable children who were in immigration removal proceedings,” Jajah explained. “Many of these children were fleeing exploitation, violence, abuse and travelled alone to the United States, journeying for months under the thumb of smugglers and traffickers.”

To do her job effectively, Jajah had to learn to listen to her clients and determine what they really needed. She interacted directly with the children on a regular basis, listening to their stories and earning their trust.

One case in particular that stands out to her was when she worked with a child from China who had been the victim of abuse and trafficking and was at risk for deportation. Jajah drafted a best interest recommendation to support the client’s asylum claim, and accompanied the girl to the hours-long asylum interview. The girl was granted asylum and still keeps in touch with Jajah to this day.

“Working with my clients was the best part of the PILI program,” said Jajah. “Not many recent grads have the chance to really act as the main client contact on a case, but as a Fellow with the Young Center, I met with my clients regularly and had the opportunity to learn their histories and build a relationship so that they were comfortable with expressing their wishes and fears for the future.”

After her Fellowship, Jajah spent two years at Schiff Hardin before returning to the Young Center, where she now works as a Supervising Attorney and Clinical Instructor teaching law students how to do the job of a Child Advocate. She believes her current work is a direct result of her Fellowship.

“I see my experience as a PILI Fellow as having an enormous impact on my career,” she said. “The work I did through my PILI Fellowship gave me the tools to start off on the right foot in my legal career. More importantly, my work as a PILI gave me an internal compass, and a sense that I was truly making a difference in the lives of the children I served.”

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

PILI Pro Bono Spotlight: Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Posted on by

kattenmuchinrosenman 2

In July, Katten Muchin Rosenman received some exciting news: their firm had jumped more than 20 spots in the AmLaw Pro Bono ranking. From 2013 to 2014, Katten moved from 91st to 70th, in large part due to a 30% increase in average pro bono hours. Jonathan Baum, the firm’s Director of Pro Bono Services, works to figure out how to increase Katten’s pro bono activity. Jonathan joined Katten in 1993, and was the first pro bono partner at a major law firm in the Midwest. “We believe that people’s natural pro bono impulses are strong enough that if you let them loose and support them, then they will do a lot of pro bono,” he said.

Seven years ago, Katten set out to achieve an average of 40 pro bono hours per attorney with 40% of their lawyers performing pro bono. They called this plan their 40/40 Goal. “You have to have goals. It doesn’t happen by itself,” Jonathan explained. In 2014, Katten achieved its 40/40 Goal, reaching 49.3 average pro bono hours with a 41.7% participation rate.

While many people at the firm contributed to achieving the 40/40 Goal and to the increase in the AmLaw Ranking, Jonathan credits their pro bono successes to an overall culture of pro bono, starting with firm leadership. “The support of firm management is as strong as it has ever been,” Jonathan has observed. “There is no substitute for leadership from the top.”

Katten has set up numerous projects across the country in which attorneys can participate. One of the Chicago projects is the Katten Legal Clinic at José de Diego Community Academy, the first legal clinic in a Chicago public school. Once per month, families and neighbors of José de Diego Community Academy can meet and discuss legal issues with lawyers from Katten and LAF. Over 100 clients have attended this clinic since it began two and a half years ago, and every attorney that has volunteered has returned to volunteer again.

“Since its inception, Katten attorneys have dedicated countless hours to working with LAF attorneys to staff the Clinic and provide pro bono advice and extended representation to its clients,” said Kate Shank, the Director of Volunteer Services at LAF. “Katten’s work at the Clinic has helped to create a stronger, safer, and more stable community.”

Along with creating projects like the school clinic, Jonathan plays “matchmaker” and tries to connect Katten attorneys with pro bono opportunities they might be interested in. One way he does this is to try and find projects in a lawyer’s practice area. “We’re always conscious of the fact that lawyers need to be make maximum use of their time,” Jonathan explains, “so if we can find something that does a public service, as well as enhances the skills they use in their practice area, we try to do that as much as possible.” For example, PILI Board Member Daniel Lange works on employee benefits at Katten, so he volunteered to set up the employee benefits program at LAF.

“Throughout my career at Katten, the firm has always been supportive of attorneys’ pro bono efforts.  Each year we hold ceremonies in every office highlighting local pro bono achievements,” said Daniel. “Over the years, I have been impressed by the positive results that Katten attorneys have been able to realize on behalf of clients who might not otherwise have access to legal representation.”

When attorneys would like to volunteer outside of their practice area, Jonathan facilitates trainings. He says he spends much of his time breaking down barriers – real or perceived — that might inhibit attorneys from doing more pro bono work.

While Katten has come a long way in the last year, it realizes there is always room for growth. Jonathan is encouraged by new associates who come out of law school expecting to do pro bono work and ready to get involved. He says he’s noticed an overall shift to a more positive attitude about pro bono in the legal profession as a whole, which continues to help volunteer programs like those at Katten flourish. As he said, “Our work is far from finished, but we are headed in the right direction.”

 View all of PILI’s past Pro Bono Spotlights »

PILI Board Member Spotlight: Lisa McCraw

Posted on by

Lisa McCraw

Lisa McCraw is the Assistant General Counsel of Litigation at Deere & Company in Moline, Illinois. Her involvement with PILI can be traced back to 2009, when Michael Bergmann, then PILI’s Director of Programs, sent her an email and asked her to join PILI’s Pro Bono Opportunities Advisory Team. Given her role as the leader of Deere’s pro bono committee, Michael thought Lisa would be an indispensable person to have at the table as PILI looked to expand our pro bono efforts across the state.

Following this initial e-mail, Lisa jumped right in. She joined the team, and also assisted in reviewing specialized home pages for IllinoisProBono.org for corporate law departments. She was a regular at PILI’s annual Corporate Pro Bono Roundtables, as well as many Pro Bono Receptions and Annual Awards Luncheons.

In 2013, when PILI decided to expand the Board of Directors to include representation from outside of Chicago, Lisa was a clear choice. “I have really enjoyed being a member of the board,” Lisa said. “This has been a great opportunity for me to see the impact of pro bono work in larger cities like Chicago, and be able to carry those ideas back to my law department and the smaller communities where Deere is located.” And the sharing of ideas goes both ways. As Lisa explains, “I also enjoy bringing the perspective of those of us outside the Chicago metro area to the table.” Such a perspective is increasingly important as PILI’s work continues to grow across the state of Illinois.

Lisa led Deere’s pro bono committee through November of 2014, and continues to serve as a committee member. On top of this, she maintains an active pro bono practice of her own, providing counsel to nonprofits in the Quad Cities on corporate governance and contract review. She has also participated in PILI’s Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee’s service projects, including the Volunteer Lawyer Project for tenants facing eviction, and the Wills and Power of Attorney clinic for low-income seniors.

“It is remarkable to look back to Michael’s email of 2009, and see how far we have come,” Lisa says, noting that PILI’s board now reflects statewide membership, and PILI has also expanded in scope to reach many areas across the state. “It is an honor to be part of such an organization.”

Read more PILI Board Member Spotlights »

Support PILI in Closing the Justice Gap

Posted on by

Web Post

At PILI, we are working hard to close the gap between low-income people with legal needs and the legal services they otherwise can’t afford. This year, we’re funding 57 Law Student Interns, and we placed 81 Graduate Fellows at legal service organizations across the state. Together they will contribute 44,500 hours of legal services to clients in need.

“Many of our clients are very grateful that someone finally told them ‘yes’ and agreed to help them with their legal problem,” one of our Interns told us. “Often, this is the first time they have had someone take an interest in their story,” another said. “I can really have a positive impact for them.”

We’re also working to make it easier for more people to do more pro bono work in Chicago and across Illinois. We held legal clinics for low-income seniors in the Quad Cities, and we launched pilot courthouse help desks in Peoria and Tazewell Counties. And, our own PILI Alumni Network organizes a monthly community legal clinic in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood.

PILI’s mission is to cultivate a lifelong commitment to public interest law and pro bono service within the Illinois legal community. We are doing more than ever to expand legal aid for those who need it most, and we hope you will join us in this mission by making a donation to PILI today.

[button href=”https://pili.org/donate”]Make a Donation[/button]

 

We could not do the work we do to close the justice gap without support from friends like you. We hope we can count on you this summer, and thank you for helping us expand the availability of legal services for people, families and communities in need.

PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann Named Chair of the ABA Judicial Division

Posted on by

MGB

At the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association in Chicago last week, Michael G. Bergmann, the Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), was named Chair of the ABA’s Judicial Division. Michael is the first public interest attorney to hold this position and only the third non-judge to do so in the Division’s history. Michael has now chaired two of the ABA’s seven divisions before the age of 40: in the 2012-2013 bar year, Michael chaired the ABA’s Young Lawyers Division and was the first public interest attorney to chair that Division as well.

Michael follows the outgoing Judicial Division Chair, Magistrate Judge David J. Waxse of United States District Court for the District of Kansas, as well as Chief Justice Mark Martin of the North Carolina Supreme Court, who chaired the Division during the 2013-2014 bar year. “Michael has been extremely active within the ABA Judicial Division and his experience will serve him well as Chair. His leadership in the organized bar and in facilitating pro bono service demonstrates the important role that lawyers play within the Judicial Division, and I look forward to seeing the Division’s important work continue during his tenure as Chair,” Chief Justice Martin said.

The Judicial Division has over 4,000 members, including judges from federal, state, local and tribal courts at the trial and appellate levels, as well as state and federal administrative law judges and lawyers who practice in all of these courts, court administrators, legal academicians and law students. The Division’s theme for this year is “Building Confidence in the Justice System,” with a focus on diversity, public education, obtaining and retaining a talented judiciary, and ensuring high quality in the justice system.

“Improving our justice system has been the passion and focal point of my legal career,” says Michael. “It is my privilege and honor to serve as Chair of the Judicial Division during the coming bar year, and I look forward to working with my lawyer and judicial colleagues in pursuit of this goal.”

Michael has worked at PILI since 2006, and became Executive Director in 2010. During his tenure at PILI, he has significantly grown PILI’s Law Student Internship Program, and has overseen the development of innovative pro bono committees at the judicial circuit level across Illinois. He has handled pro bono matters himself through Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing and the National Immigrant Justice Center. In addition to his service with the ABA, he is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, having served on and chaired committees for both of these bar associations. Frequently recognized for his contributions to the bar and the public, Michael was named one of “40 Under 40 Illinois Attorneys to Watch” in 2013 by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

NOTE: Chief Justice Martin’s comments are provided solely as a congratulatory acknowledgement of Michael’s selection as Chair of the ABA Judicial Division and do not constitute an endorsement of either Michael’s legal practice or of the Public Interest Law Initiative.

PILI Announces School-Year Internship Allocations

Posted on by

This coming fall and spring, PILI will fund 15 Law Student Interns at 10 legal service agencies in Chicago. This is PILI’s largest class of school-year Interns ever.

As PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann explains, growth in the school-year Internship Program is part of strategic growth in the larger Internship Program overall, which has increased by over 30% in the last five years. “PILI has been operating a summer Internship Program for nearly 40 years, and a school-year program for almost 20,” he said. “More and more, the legal service agencies where we place Interns are telling us that as much as they want more summer PILI Interns, their need for Interns is most acute during the school year.”

Related: Apply for fall PILI Internships on August 1 »

PILI’s Participating Agencies are grateful for the extra capacity Interns add during the school year. “Having school-year PILI Interns helps us maintain consistency on the work capacity our office has,” one Intern supervisor said. “We love our PILI Interns,” said another. “They are vital to our work.”

Six of these Internship positions, three in the fall and three in the spring, are made possible by special funding commitments from Baker & McKenzie LLP, the Chicago Bar Foundation, and the LAGBAC (Lesbian And Gay Bar Association of Chicago) Foundation. Learn more about PILI’s Named and Honorary Internships »

Second and third-year law students in the Chicago area can apply now for fall semester PILI Internships. The application period for spring semester Internships will open on November 1st.

PILI Alumna Elizabeth Lewis Elected to Board of Directors

Posted on by

ELewis

PILI is delighted to announce that Elizabeth P. Lewis, a partner at McDermott Will & Emery, has been elected to serve on our Board of Directors. A former PILI Fellow, she has been a member of PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council since 2011 and has served as Chair since 2013.

“I am thrilled to join the PILI Board of Directors.  I have been involved with PILI since serving as a PILI fellow in 2006,” Elizabeth said. “PILI has provided critical guidance and support at every step in my career since that point, regularly reinforcing the need to provide access to justice and bringing together the community and the tools to advance that cause.  I am excited to work more closely with the staff and the Board.”

Elizabeth has an active pro bono practice, representing children and families in a wide variety of education, school discipline, custody and visitation cases. She also regularly works with nonprofit organizations on tax exemption issues. She co-chairs McDermott’s Chicago office Pro Bono Committee and is also a member of the Young Professionals Board of the Chicago Bar Foundation.

Frequently recognized for her pro bono contributions, Elizabeth has received pro bono awards from McDermott, PILI and others. She was the 2012 recipient of the Maurice Weigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award from The Chicago Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Foundation. She was also part of a team of four McDermott attorneys who received the Northern District of Illinois’ Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service in 2013, and in 2014 she was named an Illinois Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Elizabeth will take her place on PILI’s Board of Directors on September 1st, following the appointment of Donald B. Hilliker, also of McDermott Will & Emery, to a Life Director position on PILI’s Board. Donald has served as a Board Member for PILI since 2006.

PILI featured Elizabeth in our Alumni Spotlights whens she became Chair of the Alumni Network Leadership Council back in 2013. Read her spotlight here »

Learn more about our Board of Directors »