PILI Welcomes Summer 2015 Interns and Fellows!

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WebsitePILI is excited to welcome the Summer 2015 class of PILI Interns and Fellows! This year, 44 Law Student Interns and 81 Graduate Fellows will provide legal services for clients at one of PILI’s 56 Participating Agencies.

Summer 2015 PILI Interns come from 20 law schools and include rising 2Ls and 3Ls. They will provide 400 hours of service each, for a grand total of 17,600 hours of service over the summer.

[button href=”https://pili.org/internships/current-pili-interns”]Meet Our 2015 Interns[/button]

Our 2015 class of Graduate Fellows comes from 23 law schools and are sponsored by 11 law firms. They each provide 300 hours of legal service while studying for the bar exam and will provide 24,300 hours of total service.

[button href=”https://pili.org/fellowships/current-pili-fellows”]Meet Our 2015 Fellows[/button]

Each summer, PILI organizes the Educational Seminar Series for Interns and Fellows. Many of these programs are also open to any legal intern working this summer in the Chicago area. If you are a legal intern this summer and would like more information or to register to receive updates about these programs, visit here.

We look forward to meeting our summer class at the Intern & Fellow Kick-Off Luncheon this Thursday, June 4th! Welcome to PILI!

Kimball Anderson & Karen Gatsis Anderson Receive Philanthropic Award

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Kimball Karen AndersonLongtime PILI supporters Kimball Anderson and Karen Gatsis Anderson received the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Philanthropic Award from Lawyers Lend-a-Hand to Youth at their 20th Anniversary spring awards dinner last night. Kimball, a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP, has served on PILI’s Board of Directors since 1989, and together he and Karen sponsor a Named PILI Intern every year.

The Sun-Times Judge Marovitz Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth Program (Lawyers Lend-A-Hand to Youth) channels the legal community’s resources to promote best practice mentoring and tutoring programs in disadvantaged communities by awarding annual grants to local programs, recruiting volunteers from the legal profession, and providing professional development and other capacity building technical assistance to partner mentoring programs.

PILI congratulates Kimball and Karen on receiving this award, and thanks them for their commitment to service!

PILI Summer Begins With Intern & Fellow Kick-Off Luncheon on June 4th

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A lot is happening at PILI as we gear up for our 2015 summer class of Interns and Fellows! Some of our Law Student Interns and Graduate Fellows have already begun at their agencies and more are starting every week. The official start of PILI programming will be next Thursday, June 4th at our Intern and Fellow Kick-Off Luncheon at the Chicago Bar Association.  We’re excited to meet our new class and hope to see you all starting next week!

[button href=”https://pili.org/2015-summer-educational-seminars”]View Our Summer Schedule[/button]

Our full list of Summer Educational Seminars is now available and includes a mix of favorites like Writing for Public Interest Lawyers, and brand new topics such as Introduction to Social Cognition and Implicit Bias. All Chicago-based law school Interns are welcome to these seminars, and PILI always provides lunch for anyone in attendance.  If you have any questions, please contact PILI’s Program Manager Katie Pieper.

Pro Bono Pledge Launches in Illinois

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The Public Interest Law Initiative has launched the Illinois Pro Bono Pledge through Pro Bono Committees in the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Tenth and Fourteenth Judicial Circuits. While the Illinois legal community has a longstanding tradition of providing pro bono legal assistance, the number of unrepresented individuals and families has increased significantly, and more pro bono assistance is needed. The Pro Bono Pledge encourages and recognizes lawyers providing free legal assistance to low-income individuals and families.

The Pledge calls on law firms and corporate legal departments to:

  1. Encourage their attorneys and legal staff to provide pro bono legal services and in doing so, provide an environment which is hospitable to the rendition of such services;
  2. Designate a primary pro bono point of contact within the firm or corporate law department;
  3. Consider adopting a written pro bono policy; and
  4. Recognize attorneys and legal staff who participate in pro bono services, as appropriate.

The Pro Bono Pledge was formally launched in the Tenth Judicial Circuit in March 2014 and its reach continues to grow. Most recently, the Fifth and Sixth Judicial Circuits rolled out the Pledge in the spring of 2015. To date, over 100 law firms, corporations and individual attorneys have demonstrated their commitment to pro bono by signing on to their Judicial Circuit’s Pro Bono Pledge.

The Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees are groups of lawyers and judges working to enlist, educate and recognize attorneys dedicated to pro bono work across Illinois. The ultimate goal is to expand the reach of legal aid to poor and underrepresented communities. These committees were launched by PILI in partnership with Prairie State Legal Services and Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation.

Polk Bros. Renews $50,000 Grant for PILI

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PILI is thrilled to announce that the Polk Bros. Foundation has renewed their $50,000 grant in support of our Law Student Internship Program! The Polk Bros. Foundation is the largest supporter of this program, and their grant covers the stipends for 9 summer Law Student Interns, plus costs associated with our Summer Educational Seminars and the networking and advising components of our program. We are incredibly grateful to the Polk Bros. Foundation for their leadership in funding this program so generously and for their commitment to PILI!

All Law Student Interns Invited to Attend PILI Summer Programming

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Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) | Awards Luncheon

All law student interns in the Chicago area are invited to attend our lunchtime seminars this summer. PILI’s Educational Series consists of weekly seminars to develop their legal and client interaction skills and to explore career development issues in public interest law and pro bono.

Interns not receiving PILI funding can sign up to receive weekly notices about upcoming programs. Because we provide lunch at each of our seminars, we ask that everyone RSVP in advance. We hope to see you this summer!

[button href=”www.pili.org/internships/sign-up-for-updates”]Sign Up for Updates[/button]

 
If you are a Participating Agency with law student interns not receiving PILI funding, please email our Administrative & Finance Assistant Rachael Kaelin to add them to the listserv.

Set a Date for PILI to Meet Your Summer Associates

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Does your firm currently sponsor PILI Fellows? Schedule a time for PILI to come speak to your summer associates about our Graduate Fellowship Program!

PILI’s Graduate Fellowship Program places new associates from Chicago law firms at legal service agencies, where they work 300 hours during the summer or fall before starting at their firms. This is a unique opportunity to gain lawyering skills, build professional networks, and do something meaningful while studying for the bar.

Schedule a time by contacting Executive Director Michael G. Bergmann by e-mail or by phone at 312-832-5129. See a list of firms that have sponsored PILI Fellows in the past.

PILI’s Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee Hosts Advance Directives Clinics

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The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, in partnership with Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. and PILI, is hosting free legal clinics in May in the Quad Cities area to help low-income seniors and people with disabilities prepare Powers of Attorney and Living Wills. Pro bono attorneys are helping clients determine:

  • How they would want to be treated if they had a serious accident
  • Who would make decisions for them if they are unable to due to serious illness
  • What their wishes are about medical treatment if they are ill

Volunteer attorneys in the Quad Cities attended a complimentary CLE program and training on Tuesday, April 28th. The first clinics were held yesterday in East Moline and Rock Island, and were a tremendous success. Twenty-two seniors and persons with disabilities received Living Wills, Powers of Attorney for Healthcare and Powers of Attorney for Property. Services were provided by 8 paralegals and 20 attorneys.

The next clinics will be offered on Monday, May 11th, in Milan and Rock Island.

The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee is a group of lawyers and judges working to enlist, educate and recognize attorneys dedicated to pro bono work in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. The ultimate goal is to expand the reach of legal aid to poor and underrepresented communities. It was launched on February 28, 2012 in partnership with Prairie State Legal Services, and the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI).

Board Member Spotlight: Myles Berman

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There are few people who have served on PILI’s Board of Directors longer than Myles Berman, the managing partner of the Chicago office of Foley & Larnder LLP. Nearly 30 years ago, he was a young associate at Altheimer & Gray heading up their new pro bono program when he first got connected with PILI. Berman, who came from a strong background in the civil rights movement, had graduated from Northwestern University School of Law in 1983 with the drive and conviction to make a difference in the world. He has since structured and developed the pro bono programs of two major law firms, and spent decades serving legal aid nonprofits and other causes, including PILI, the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), the Anti-Defamation League, the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago, and more.

Last month, Northwestern University School of Law’s Student Funded Public Interest Fellowship Program honored Berman for his outstanding contributions to public service and the legal community at their Twelfth Annual Public Service Benefit Dinner. In acceptance of this recognition, he shared some of his insights from decades of pro bono work. Chief among these insights was the importance of building relationships between law firms and public interest agencies. “Pro bono and public interest need moles,” he said, “champions that burrow in and live deep inside law firms to bang the drum, make connections for lawyers to find appropriate pro bono and public interest assignments. And sometimes just to say, ‘It’s ok to do pro bono and public interest work.’ To say, ‘I did it, and you can too.’”

A seasoned “mole” himself, Berman was the person who, over ten years ago, convinced Foley to take PILI under its wing and house PILI’s offices. The significance of this contribution of office space and the cost savings it affords have been a tremendous boon to PILI, freeing up substantial resources for us to focus on the pursuit of our mission.

Berman closed his remarks at Northwestern’s Public Service Benefit Dinner last month with words of inspiration for anyone seeking to, like him, make a difference: “Pro bono and public interest work come in lots of forms, from direct service to program architecture and design. Do what delights you,” he said. “But do something.”

Read more PILI Board Member Spotlights »