
Board Member Spotlight: Lee Ann Russo
“I became such a believer in the ability of the Pro Bono Initiative to facilitate the growth of pro bono work by law firms, corporations and law schools that I quickly became a PILI fan.”

PILI Graduate Fellowship Positions Available
Join the Summer 2015 class of new associates dedicated to pro bono! 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.

2014 Distinguished Public Service Award: Diana C. White, LAF
Diana is the Executive Director of LAF, the largest and most comprehensive provider of free legal aid to low-income Cook County residents in civil matters. Her commitment to providing high-quality legal services comes during a time of tightening budgets and exploding need.

2014 Fellow Alumni Award: Andrew Vail
Andrew co-chairs Jenner & Block’s Pro Bono Committee, and has dedicated more than 5,000 hours to pro bono matters, including work on several high-profile wrongful conviction cases.

2014 PILI Intern Alumni Award: Matthew Jenkins
Matt handles and tries complex, significant and high-profile cases, and he is proud of the work he does on behalf of those clients. He is equally as proud of his cases that don’t make headlines, involving those often without a voice and without access to quality legal representation.

2014 Pro Bono Initiative Award: Dentons US LLP
Dentons has a long and proud tradition of serving the community. With approximately 2,600 lawyers and professionals in more than 75 locations in over 50 countries across the globe, Dentons serves the public interest through pro bono legal services, partnerships with nonprofit organizations, community volunteerism, environmental sustainability projects and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

PILI Welcomes New Alumni Network Leadership Council Members
PILI is delighted to announce that along with the 2014 Intern and Fellow Representatives, seven new members have recently joined our Alumni Network Leadership Council.

PILI Alumni Network Service Opportunity: Legal Prep Community Law Clinic
The PILI Alumni Network is partnering with Legal Prep Charter Academies and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services to offer the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic, a community-based clinic for the student families and neighbors of Legal Prep in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

Application Period Now Open for Spring 2015 Internships
Second and third-year law students in the Chicago area may apply for PILI Internship opportunities at seven public interest law organizations this coming spring.

Pro Bono Spotlight: Pro Bono Week in Illinois
PILI’s Pro Bono Committees in Illinois’ Third, Fifth, Sixth, Tenth and Fourteenth Judicial Circuits celebrated National Pro Bono Week, October 19-25, 2014, with special events across the state.