PILI Alumni Spotlight: Anita Weinberg, 1984 Intern

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Anita Weinberg

Anita Weinberg has always been committed to improving conditions for underprivileged children and families. In 1977, she received her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and worked at the Child Welfare League of America in New York until 1984. Her time as a social worker helped her realize how having a law degree would help her serve these communities better.

“I believe that if we truly want to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families, the underserved and the underrepresented, no one profession can do it alone,” says Anita. “We need to collaborate with families, with communities, and with other disciplines and systems. I’ve been incredibly lucky that my legal career has allowed me to carry forward this approach to problem solving.”

Anita’s legal career began to take form during her PILI Internship in 1984. She served at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois where she worked with Colleen Connell, who was at that time the Director of the Reproductive Rights Project. “My Internship raised my awareness of the scope of wonderful work being done in the Chicagoland area.”

Anita herself became an integral part of that work. She has held positions at the Cook County Office of the Public Guardian, LAF, the Governor’s office, Department of Child and Family Services Office of the Inspector General, and the ChildLaw Policy Institute at Loyola University Chicago, where she currently serves as the Director.

“The law is not always the solution, but it is a critical tool,” Anita says. “My Internship gave me an appreciation for the expansive number of tools and avenues for working toward social justice, violence prevention, and racial equity.”

Throughout her career, Anita has never stopped working to help children and families. She co-authored amendments to the Illinois Juvenile Court Act to focus on permanency for children in the child welfare system, testified before congressional and state legislative committees about child welfare, and is currently organizing advocacy groups to challenge proposed cuts to the Department of Children and Family Services.

Her work has earned her several awards including the 2014 Housing Champion Award from Metropolitan Tenants Organization, the 2013 Family Defender Award from the Family Defense Center, and the 2003 Distinguished PILI Alumni Award.

“My PILI Internship introduced me to a large network of lawyers committed to public interest law,” Anita says. “I’m extremely proud to be a part of this network and community.”

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Lyman Welch, 1993 Graduate Fellow

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Lyman Welch

Throughout his career, Lyman Welch has used his legal expertise to protect the environment. Currently the Legal Director at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Lyman began his career as a PILI Graduate Fellow in 1993 at BPI — Business and Professional People for the Public Interest. It was during his Fellowship that he began to understand the positive influence legal advocacy could have. “I gained a better understanding of how public interest lawyers can use existing laws and regulations to force the government and industry to improve their behavior,” Lyman said. He conducted a research project that was later used to halt construction by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority without environmental review. He realized it was possible for his work to have a lasting, positive impact on the environment.

While Lyman’s work was influential, his networking experiences at PILI were similarly important to him. “One of the best parts of the PILI program,” he said, “was gathering with other PILI Fellows and Interns at pizza lunches and evening social events during the summer to share our experiences and learn what other advocacy organizations were working on in the city.”

After finishing his Fellowship sponsored by Mayer Brown, Lyman spent 8 years working at the firm in Chicago. He continued to work in environmental law, advising companies on environmental risk and litigating civil and environmental cases. He then moved to the nonprofit sector, working at Widener University’s Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic in Wilmington, Delaware. In 2007, he returned to Chicago as the Water Quality Program Manager for the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “My work has protected the Great Lakes from sewer overflows, industrial pollutants, agricultural runoff and other emerging threats,” Lyman said. “The Alliance uses a collaborative approach to strengthen the policies protecting the drinking water and recreation for more than 40 million people in the Great Lakes region.”

Lyman was recently named the Legal Director for the Alliance. He oversees the work of pro bono lawyers and service providers who are committed to protecting the world’s largest fresh surface water source. His experience at PILI provided a strong foundation. “PILI let me experience how public interest lawyers make the world a better place and encouraged me to devote my career to public interest law to protect the environment.”

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

Pro Bono Spotlight: Sidley Austin LLP

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Sidley

Sidley Austin LLP has a long history of engaging in pro bono work and each year, Sidley lawyers and staff devote more than 100,000 hours to pro bono projects. Sidley’s pro bono program includes four firm-wide projects, numerous legal aid undertakings and a culture of volunteerism that stretches across the globe.

To enable its attorneys to help more clients, Sidley has centralized the coordination of some of its pro bono work. In 2004, a Sidley attorney attended a meeting sponsored by the ABA Death Penalty Representation Project, where he learned of a desperate need for representation for defendants on death row in Alabama, and around the country. While individual attorneys at Sidley Austin had provided pro bono legal services to death row inmates before, partners at Sidley realized the efficiencies that could be leveraged by taking many cases in one jurisdiction. With that commitment, Sidley’s Capital Litigation Project was born.

In the ten years since the Capital Litigation Project was started, Sidley added the Political Asylum and Immigrants’ Rights Project in 2006, the Veterans Benefits Project in 2007, and the Africa & Asia Agricultural Enterprise Program in 2012.

In Illinois, Sidley attorneys and staff make a strong effort to volunteer in the community. Each month, Sidley sponsors a legal clinic through Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS). They also partner with the Family Defense Center, CVLS’s Salvation Army Legal Clinic, and many more organizations across Chicago to provide legal aid to the needy and underrepresented in the community. Individual attorneys at Sidley volunteer their time and services, and many serve as Board Members for nonprofit organizations, including PILI’s current Board President, Richard O’Malley, Jr.

“At Sidley, we believe giving back to our communities through pro bono efforts is an obligation of those in the legal profession,” said O’Malley, partner in Sidley’s Chicago office and Chair of its Pro Bono Committee. “Through firm-wide pro bono projects we proudly provide service to members of our communities who are in need. In addition to these specific projects, Sidley lawyers serve pro bono clients on a wide variety of litigation and transaction matters. We are committed to pro bono service and believe it is the hallmark of a great firm.”

In addition to their pro bono work, Sidley sponsors many PILI Graduate Fellows each year and will sponsor 16 this summer. These Fellows receive a special stipend from Sidley to work at legal aid agencies the summer after law school graduation, providing critical support to these organizations. One such Fellow was Barbara Barreno, who completed her Fellowship in 2011. She has continued legal aid and pro bono work as an associate at Sidley, and in 2012 and 2014 she received the firm’s Thomas H. Morsch award for outstanding pro bono service.

“My pro bono asylum matters have been an invaluable part of my practice and have enabled me to gain valuable advocacy skills and serve populations that are most in need,” said Barreno. “I am proud of Sidley’s longstanding commitment to pro bono work and service to the greater Chicago community.”

Sidley houses a world-class formal pro bono strategy that cultivates a culture of pro bono service in Chicago and beyond. As Sidley’s four firm-wide projects demonstrate, Sidley is open to new strategies to help more pro bono clients. To learn more about their pro bono efforts, visit their website at www.sidley.com/pro-bono.

 

View all of PILI’s past Pro Bono Spotlights »

PILI Hosts Forum on Pro Bono in Edwardsville, IL

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PILI’s Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee hosted a Forum on Pro Bono in Edwardsville on April 24. Modeled on the program that PILI has held in Chicago for many years, this program consisted of a panel discussion featuring the Honorable Barbara L. Crowder of the Circuit Court of Madison County, who chairs the Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, as well as Clarissa P. Gaff, Managing Attorney, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, and Michael Bergmann, PILI Executive Director. The panel presentation was followed by group discussion on the future of pro bono and how to get involved.

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This Forum on Pro Bono was part of a full day of pro bono activities in the Third Circuit. It was preceded by a series of sessions on pro bono topics, and immediately followed by a networking reception, hosted by the Simmons Law Firm in Edwardsville.

PILI will host a Forum on Pro Bono in Peoria on June 11, and in Chicago on October 8.

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

Thank You for Supporting Order ON the Court!

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PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council hosted a fantastic Order ON the Court event last night. A great group of Alumni and friends came to celebrate pro bono, public interest law and basketball! Over $2,000 was raised towards the Alumni Named Internship Campaign so thank you to all those who participated, donated raffle items and bought raffle tickets. And a special thanks to PILI Alum Lisa Clay who was a partial sponsor of the basketball shoot out, and to the Alumni Network Leadership Council for hosting such a great event!

If you are interested in learning more about the PILI Alumni Network and Alumni Network Leadership Council, click here.

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PILI Elects New Board Member, Kyle A. Petersen

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The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has elected Kyle A. Petersen of Seyfarth Shaw LLP to serve on its Board of Directors. Kyle is a partner in the firm’s Wage & Hour Litigation practice group in the Labor and Employment Department. She is also an Alumna of PILI’s Graduate Fellowship Program, having served as a PILI Fellow in 2001 at Pro Bono Advocates (now known as Domestic Violence Legal Clinic). Her Fellowship was sponsored by Katten Muchin Rosenman and, in 2004, she received that firm’s Pro Bono Service Award. Since her Fellowship, she has been involved in several non-profit organizations, regularly provides pro bono representation to legal aid agencies and has represented immigrants seeking asylum. She is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the American Bar Association and is involved with Friends of Drummond, the West Bucktown Neighborhood Association, and KAM Isaiah Israel.

“Joining the PILI Board is particularly meaningful to me, as a PILI Alumna who is part of a family that has long known the value of and supported its work,” Kyle said. “PILI’s Fellowship and Internship Programs have an incredibly positive impact in the Illinois legal aid community that is multiplied exponentially thanks to the ongoing work of PILI’s Alumni. I am thrilled to be joining the Board and look forward to working with PILI to strengthen the commitment of all Illinois’ lawyers to public interest law and pro bono service.”

Kyle joins PILI’s Board following the departure of Jeffrey K. Ross, also of Seyfarth Shaw, who had served as a Board Member for PILI since 2010. PILI welcomes Kyle and thanks Jeffrey for his years of dedicated service.

PILI’s Board of Directors is currently led by President Richard O’Malley, Jr. of Sidley Austin LLP, and by Vice President Bradley G. Lane of Brinks Gilson & Lione. Click here to see a full list of PILI’s Board Members.

Find the official press release here.

PILI Graduate Fellowship Now Offered at Lawndale Christian Legal Center

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PILI is excited to announce that we now offer Graduate Fellowships at Lawndale Christian Legal Center. LCLC’s vision is “to raise up justly treated youth who are embraced by their families and community, restored from trauma, empowered to lead, and free from the criminal justice system.” Attorneys and case managers at LCLC help children, age 24 and younger, navigate the criminal justice system as necessary. They also provide mentoring, education advocacy, mental health counseling and after school programs to help their clients leave the criminal justice system for good.

The new partnership between PILI and LCLC provides an exciting opportunity for Fellows to work with children and teens in need. Fellows will conduct intake sessions, visit crime scenes, and interview witnesses. They will also have a chance to draft subpoenas, motions and briefs and co-chair cases with the Lead Attorney.

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. Spots are still available for 2015, so apply today! If you have any questions, please contact PILI’s Program Manager, Katie Pieper, by e-mail or by phone at 312-832-5128.

Order ON the Court! Get Your Tickets for Our March Event

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bball invite 2015 smallWe’re hosting an event for Alumni and friends of PILI! Order ON the Court will be Thursday, March 26th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Come visit with other Alumni, watch the game, enjoy great food and win awesome prizes! Tickets are only $25 and include food and two drink tickets for craft beer, wine, martinis, or mixed drinks. All friends and family of Alumni are invited, and proceeds will go to fund the PILI Alumni Named Internship Campaign.

Get your tickets for Order ON the Court »

Hoops Shootout

Along with the big game on screen, guests will have a chance to participate in the Great PILI Basketball Shoot Out! Battle it out with other Alumni, and the winner will leave with the grand prize!

Raffle Prizes

You can also enter the raffle drawing to win tickets or gift certificates from fantastic donors such as:

  • Chicago White Sox
  • Comedy Sportz
  • Shedd Aquarium
  • Chicago Wolves
  • Chicago Sky
  • L. Woods
  • River Roast
  • Whole Foods
  • Old Town School of Folk Music

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with Alumni and support PILI! Click here for more information about Order ON the Court or to purchase your tickets!

Contact PILI’s Program Manager Katie Pieper by e-mail or by phone at 312-832-5128.

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Liz Tracy, 2014 Intern

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Liz_TracyLiz Tracy is the new Intern Representative to the PILI Alumni Network Leadership Council. A 2L at Chicago-Kent College of Law, she did her PILI Internship at Equip for Equality in their Special Education Legal Clinic where she worked on everything from daily client intakes to following up with families to educate them on their rights and effective self-advocacy skills. She additionally assisted four attorneys in two due process hearings, and in doing so contributed to briefs, drafted questions for direct examinations, prepared witnesses, and built relationships with clients. Liz says that her experience at Equip for Equality through PILI this summer was unparalleled. “Because of PILI, I was able to make a meaningful impact in the lives of families with children with disabilities, obtain practical experience in education law, and meet accomplished attorneys, judges, and future attorneys,” she says.

Liz was one of PILI’s 2014 Florence Miller Memorial Interns, meaning that funding for her Internship placement was made possible by a special endowment fund. Florence Miller, who passed away in 2008, was well-known in the internal trademark law community and a strong advocate for women in the profession.

One of the most memorable moments of the PILI Internship experience for Liz came at the end of the summer, when she negotiated an appropriate individualized education plan (IEP) for a child with a disability in Western Illinois. This child and her family were in great need of a strong advocate, and under the supervision of her mentor, Liz was able to represent this family and achieve a favorable outcome. “We put the services in place the student needed to be successful in school. The family was so grateful,” Liz recounts. “That was an empowering experience.”

In addition to the compelling client work, Liz also found PILI’s educational and social programing to be of benefit, and thought the Kick-off Luncheon at the beginning of the summer was particularly inspiring. “Sitting in a room full of law students, listening to everyone introduce themselves, where they were from, and where they were working that summer, I got the sense that we were all involved in something much larger than I’d previously perceived,” she explains. “I was now part of a network of people dedicated to improving access to justice for those in need in Illinois.” Liz says she knew from her interactions with PILI’s board, staff and Alumni over the summer that she wanted to stay connected to this network through service on the Alumni Council.

In addition to serving on PILI’s Alumni Council, Liz is also involved in a wide range of other volunteer activities. This past November, she co-coordinated the Kent Justice Foundation’s Wine Charity Event, an annual fundraiser at Chicago-Kent College of Law that raises money for stipends for law students who spend their summers doing unpaid public interest work. In addition, two years ago she and her sister started a Chicago Chapter of the national organization of Dining for Women. She explains that the Chicago Chapter now consists of a group of 70 young professional women who get together bimonthly to host a dinner party and donate to a nonprofit that supports women and girls. To date, they have raised nearly $5,000. Liz also sits on the Board of Directors of one of Chicago’s newest legal aid organizations, Community Activism Law Alliance. This organization provides free legal services to undocumented immigrants, day laborers, and sex workers through a community activism lawyering model.

With her second year of law school coming to a close this spring, Liz is already making plans for the future. “My dream job would be to go into business law, working specifically to advise closely held corporations and nonprofit startups, while maintaining a meaningful contribution to pro bono clients,” she says. The more immediate future, however, holds something else entirely, as Liz and her husband are expecting their first child in July. PILI congratulates Liz and welcomes her wholeheartedly to our Alumni Network Leadership Council!

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Taylor Whitten, 2014 Fellow

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Whitten_TaylorPILI is delighted to welcome Taylor Whitten as the new Fellow Representative to PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council. A new associate at Foley & Lardner and one of three PILI Fellows sponsored by Foley in 2014, Taylor graduated with a joint degree from the University of Iowa College of Law and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health before starting her Fellowship at the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “My PILI Fellowship gave me a broad range of experiences both in the community and the courtroom,” Taylor recounts. “I worked on issues including discrimination in the workplace, voting rights, education reform, and hate crimes.”

Not from Chicago originally, Taylor believes that one of the most valuable aspects of PILI’s Fellowship Program was the exposure to important issues that affect Chicagoans. “It ingrained in me a sense of being part of a new community and showed me the powerful effect the law has to change people’s lives,” she explains. Taylor further says that she enjoyed PILI’s educational programing and all of the people she was able to work with through her placement.

Two experiences in particular stand out to Taylor from her summer as a PILI Fellow. One arose from a voting rights issue she worked on where she had the opportunity to attend a grassroots political meeting. “It was amazing to see the commitment of community members to affect change in their community, and they were so grateful for our presence and guidance,” she says. The other experience concerned a settlement conference for the settlement assistance program. “Going into the courtroom and seeing how all of the research I had conducted over the summer was able to affect this man’s life for the positive was truly amazing,” Taylor describes. “He seemed grateful just to be heard and recognized.”

Taylor wanted to serve on PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council because she wanted to continue to be involved in promoting justice in the Chicago community while working alongside others who shared this same passion. As she explains, “it is a great way to stay connected not only with PILI, but other individuals in the community committed to doing public interest work. Plus it’s fun!”

Taylor now works in healthcare and corporate transactions at Foley, as well as labor and employment, an area of law which her Fellowship at CLCCRUL helped her realize she enjoys. She also maintains her relationship with CLCCRUL and is currently working on a prisoner’s rights case with them. Overall, Taylor says she is grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as a PILI Fellow. “It felt like I was a part of justice in action and it made me certain that practicing law was not only a privilege, but an honor, a wonderful avocation that could truly affect people’s lives.”

Read more PILI Alumni Spotlights »