PILI Bids Farewell to Four Board Members

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PILI held our last meeting for the 2015 fiscal year this week, and said goodbye to Board Members Adam Gross and Adam Schwartz and our 2013 Class Representatives Emily Coffey and Catie Cottle.

Adam Gross has served on the Board since 2002, and is a PILI Intern Supervisor at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI). Adam was a PILI Intern himself at BPI 22 years ago and has worked there ever since.

Adam Schwartz is a Senior Staff Counsel at the ACLU of Illinois.  Also a PILI Intern Supervisor, Adam has served on PILI’s Board since 2012, and is now moving out of state.

Each year, the Board elects one Intern and one Fellow to serve as Board Representatives for two years. Emily Coffey and Catie Cottle were elected as 2013 Board Representatives and, at this meeting, were recognized for their contributions over the last two years.

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Emily Coffey was our 2013 Intern Representative. In the summer of 2013, she interned at Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing and in the spring of 2014 she completed a second PILI Internship at CARPLS. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2014, and now works as an Equal Justice Works VISTA Affordable Housing Preservation Project Legal Fellow at the Shriver Center.

Catie Cottle was our 2013 Fellow Representative. Kirkland & Ellis LLP sponsored her Fellowship at Chicago-Kent’s Environmental Law Clinic. She now works at Kirkland as a Litigation Associate. She is also engaged in pro bono cases and, along with two Kirkland partners, was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award from the Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing.

Thank you all for your service to PILI!

Also at this meeting, the Board elected Don Hilliker as a Life Director. Don is a retired partner at McDermott Will & Emery and chose to become a Life Director to stay connected with PILI after his nine years of service as a Board Member.

Learn more about our Board of Directors here »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Colleen Bisher-Fry, 2009 Law Student Intern

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Colleen Bisher-Fry

While Colleen Bisher-Fry has a strong career in public interest law, she wasn’t always sure this was where her path would lead. In fact, without her PILI Internship at Cabrini Green Legal Aid, things could have gone very differently.

“I was so thankful to receive a PILI Internship with CGLA because I would not have been able to afford an unpaid internship,” said Colleen. “The grant allowed me to take the Internship and afford to live! Had I not received the PILI grant, I likely would have interned at a firm. That could have changed my entire career path, and I may not be in public interest law today.”

Colleen interned at CGLA in 2009, where she interviewed potential clients, conducted legal research, wrote motions and represented clients in housing court. Her most memorable experience was representing a woman with four teenage sons who lived in subsidized housing and was facing possible eviction. When the court denied the Chicago Housing Authority’s Motion for Eviction, Colleen’s client was overjoyed. “She cried and hugged me and thanked me for helping her and her family,” remembers Colleen. “It was truly a special moment for me that reinforced my desire to have a legal career in public interest.”

After she graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2010, Colleen went on to work as an Assistant Attorney General within the Consumer Fraud Bureau. She was a Civil Prosecutor and represented the State of Illinois against businesses and entities that were accused of defrauding customers. In 2013, she began working at the Cook County Public Defender’s office as an Assistant Public Defender. She was placed in the traffic division, where she still works and represents indigent clients on a variety of misdemeanor traffic charges. She has completed nearly 40 bench trials and two jury trials.

Spending so much time in court wasn’t always something Colleen was sure she could do.

“Prior to my PILI Internship at CGLA, I had very little confidence in my ability to be a litigator,” Colleen admits. “I knew that I wanted to do trials, but my nerves would get the best of me just thinking about it! Interning at CGLA was my first opportunity to be in court, standing before the bench, asking for dates and arguing motions.”

Her experiences as a PILI Intern gave her the confidence to try out for Chicago-Kent’s Trial Team, then the National Trial Team, and now work as a trial lawyer. “It was truly a dream come true.”

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Cara Hendrickson, 2001 Graduate Fellow

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Cara Hendrickson

PILI Alumna Cara Hendrickson has worked in almost every branch of the legal profession, holding positions in the private bar, public interest sector and government. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2001, she was hired by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and completed a PILI Graduate Fellowship at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest, or BPI.

Cara’s PILI Fellowship allowed her to see how different parts of the legal community could work together for the public interest. “PILI is a very good model for cooperation between the private bar and the public interest, and I’ve drawn on that model in the rest of my career,” she says.

The PILI Fellowship also opened up opportunities for Cara to build bridges. “Through PILI, I built relationships that I would not have otherwise built.” Her aptitude for cooperation and collaboration has stayed with her throughout her legal career. After her PILI Fellowship, she went on to work as an associate at Kirkland, and then as a law clerk for Judge Ann Claire Williams. In 2003, she received a Skadden Fellowship and returned to BPI, where she used research she had done at Kirkland to work on affordable housing and public housing issues.

After her Skadden Fellowship, Cara became a partner at Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. where she worked as a civil rights attorney for over eight years. During this time, she represented many underserved clients, including victims of warrantless law enforcement raids, a federal inmate who received inadequate medical care and died in solitary confinement, and aldermen seeking to review police records.

Now, Cara puts her cross-sector collaboration skills to use as the Chief of the Public Interest Division for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. At the Attorney General’s Office, she oversees six bureaus, including public utilities, disability rights, civil rights, tobacco enforcement, antitrust and special litigation.  She also manages affirmative litigation, supervises legislative initiatives, and guides policy programs related to the Division’s priorities.

From her PILI Fellowship at BPI to her work at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Cara has always looked for collaborative opportunities and her goal has always been clear:  to “pursue the public interest on behalf of the people of Illinois.”

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

Pro Bono Spotlight: Kavanagh, Scully, Sudow, White & Frederick, P.C.

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Peoria law firm Kavanagh, Scully, Sudow, White & Frederick, P.C. recently took home the Illinois State Bar Association’s John C. McAndrews Pro Bono Service Award. Nominated by PILI for its commitment to pro bono service, this firm sets the standard for pro bono in small firms in Illinois.

The 13 attorneys at Kavanagh averaged nearly 80 hours of pro bono work each in 2014, totaling an estimated 1,000 hours of pro bono. This high average is the result of a culture of service that has long been established by partners throughout the firm’s history.

“Pro bono is a part of the culture of the Kavanagh Firm,” said Ann Pieper, an attorney at Kavanagh. “We believe that it is important to be a part of the community where you live and work, and to respect our neighbors, regardless of their income level.  By providing legal services to those who cannot afford it in areas where we are particularly knowledgeable or passionate, we strengthen our community and elevate all of us.”

The attorneys’ pro bono work involves providing critical services to institutions supporting Peoria’s low-income population. For example, one attorney provides approximately 10 hours per month of pro bono services to libraries in the area. Another attorney spends approximately 40 hours per month providing pro bono services to nonprofits.

Kavanagh is seen as a local pro bono leader. Staff at Praire State Legal Services recognize Kavanaugh attorneys as ones who will take any case and handle each client with care and respect. The Volunteer Coordinator at Praire State said this firm sets itself apart by “the commitment to take any case regardless of the complexity or time commitment.”

In addition to their regular pro bono work, Kavanaugh actively participates in PILI’s Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee. In 2014, Ann Pieper was the recipient of the Peoria County Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award at a reception held by the Committee held during Pro Bono Week. Prior to that, Kavanagh received the distinction of the Peoria County Pro Bono Plan Firm of the Year in 1988, 1995, 2001, and 2003.

The commitment of Kavanaugh attorneys to pro bono service proves that great results come from a firm-wide culture of service. Thank you to Kavanaugh for your pro bono work and congratulations on your award!

View all of PILI’s past Pro Bono Spotlights »

PILI Board Member Spotlight: Dan Lindsey

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Dan Lindsey has been a member of PILI’s Board of Directors since 2012. As a Supervisory Attorney at LAF, the largest provider of legal services for people living in poverty in the Chicago area, Dan has long overseen the small army of interns that LAF hosts every year, including many PILI Interns and Fellows.

“For years I have seen up close how valuable PILI Interns and Fellows are to LAF and its clients,” says Dan. “I am happy to have the chance to give back to PILI; hopefully, my insights as LAF’s student hiring coordinator can strengthen PILI’s student programs and can benefit other receiving agencies as well.”

Last month, Dan was honored with the Jerold S. Solovy Equal Justice Award from LAF at their Annual Luncheon for his work in the areas of housing and consumer law. In the wake of disastrous predatory lending practices that led to the foreclosure crisis and cost families their savings, their homes and their security, Dan has worked to preserve individual clients’ homes while also advocating tirelessly for better laws at the local, state and national level. “To say that Dan is deserving of this prestigious award is an understatement,” wrote LAF. “He has a record of leadership and a nationally-recognized expertise in preserving the homes of our clients.”

In accepting his award from LAF, Dan focused on what motivates him: “In the end, it’s all about the clients,” he said. “They’re the ones who inspire us. They’re the ones whose fights we join.”

Read more PILI Board Member Spotlights »

Announcing the Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship

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PILI is thrilled to announce a new Named Internship in honor of Ruth Ann Schmitt, who has recently retired as the Executive Director of Lawyers Trust Fund after 32 years of service. LTF has allocated a grant award of $30,000 to create the “Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship” to support one Intern each summer from 2016 through 2020. This Intern will help carry on the legacy of public service embodied by Ruth Ann and LTF.

In announcing this new Internship at LTF’s Annual Meeting in June, Jennifer Nijman, who is the current President of LTF’s Board of Directors and a past member of PILI’s Board of Directors, explained why LTF chose to honor Ruth Ann’s career in this way. “Ruth Ann Schmitt devoted her entire legal career to making sure that the protections of the legal system are available to all, without regard to income,” she said. “The Lawyers Trust Fund is pleased to support the Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship, which will give a bright, idealistic law student the opportunity to launch his or her public service career – a career that will also be a part of Ruth Ann’s legacy.”

The recipient of the Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship will be placed at one of the organizations funded by LTF to provide direct legal services to those in need.

“PILI is incredibly grateful to LTF for funding this new Internship position,” PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann said. “The impact these Interns will have over the course of their Internships and their careers is immeasurable. This is an extraordinarily fitting tribute to Ruth Ann’s career and her own lifelong commitment to public interest law.”

Learn more about PILI’s Named and Honorary Internships here »

PILI Alumna Amanda Walsh Receives Prestigious Equal Justice Works Fellowship

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AAEAAQAAAAAAAALzAAAAJDdkOWFmYjQyLTYwMWItNDA0ZS1hYzRmLWQ1MWNkYWI3MzFkOQPILI Alumna Amanda Walsh is one of 63 recipients of a 2015 Equal Justice Works Fellowship. This prestigious program provides the funds for recent law school graduates to work in legal aid and provide services to low-income and underserved populations. Amanda recently graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and was a PILI Intern last spring at the Roger Baldwin Foundation of ACLU.

For her Fellowship, Amanda will work at the AIDS Legal Council of Chicago to establish the Family Preservation Project (FPP). This project will tackle the social determinants of health and family instability faced by children with mental illness through a medical-legal partnership model.

Amanda was chosen for this Fellowship and project because of her interdisciplinary training. She has a MSW in Mental Health and a JD with certificates in child and family law. She also experienced these issues firsthand when she was placed in foster care due to her own parents’ mental illnesses. Learn more about Amanda and her project here.

Congratulations to Amanda and all of the 2015 EJW Fellows! We look forward to hearing about the great work you accomplish, and we thank you for your service to those in need.

About the Equal Justice Works Fellowship Program: The Equal Justice Works Fellowship is a two year program that funds public interest attorneys to close the justice gap on issues such as foreclosure, community economic development, immigration, civil rights, homelessness, access to healthcare, and domestic violence. These Fellows have a lasting impact well beyond their Fellowship. More than 80% of Fellows continue doing public interest work after their Fellowship ends. Learn more at www.equaljusticeworks.org.

PILI Hosts Forum on Pro Bono in Peoria, IL

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PILI’s Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee hosted a Forum on Pro Bono in Peoria last week on June 11th that was modeled after the program that PILI held in Edwardsville in April and has hosted in Chicago for many years. The program consisted of a panel discussion featuring the Honorable Lisa Y. Wilson of the Circuit Court of Peoria County, who chairs the Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, as well as Marisa Wiesman, the Director of Volunteer Services at Prairie State Legal Services, and Michael Bergmann, PILI’s Executive Director.

With over 80 representatives from the legal community in attendance, the panel discussed an overview of the need for pro bono and how attendees could get involved. The presentation was followed by group discussion on the future of pro bono.

Download resources from PILI’s 2015 Forums on Pro Bono:

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Registration is now open for PILI’s Forum on Pro Bono in Chicago on October 8 »

Learn more about PILI’s Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees »

25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act Commemoration June 24th

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The ADA 25 Chicago Legal Working Group, led by Access Living, ADA 25 Chicago, Equip for Equality and Dentons US LLP, is commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the American’s with Disabilities Act on June 24th. The cocktail reception will take place at the Henry Chandler Gallery at Access Living at 115 W Chicago Ave. PILI is one of many event sponsors and we hope to see you there!

Visit the event website »

See a flyer about this event »

PILI Announces Its 2015 Named and Honorary Interns

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This year, thirteen Summer Interns hold Named or Honorary Internship positions, created by special funding commitments from individuals and groups dedicated to promoting public interest law. Many Named Internships support a specific cause, such as the legal welfare of children or disabled people. Other PILI Interns are named in honor or memory of champions for service and philanthropy to our legal aid community.

Our Named and Honorary Internships include:

  • Alfred C. Tisdahl Memorial Intern
  • Chicago Bar Foundation Interns (3)
  • Florence Miller Memorial Interns (2)
  • Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Intern
  • Jerome Gilson Honorary Intern
  • Kimball & Karen Anderson Intern
  • Nikki Will Stein Honorary Intern
  • PILI Alumni Named Intern
  • Polk Bros. Foundation Intern
  • Roslyn C. Lieb Honorary Intern

Meet PILI’s 2015 Named & Honorary Interns >>