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PILI's 2025 Theme: Stand for Justice

What do you stand for?

At PILI, we stand for justice.

PILI plays an essential role in fulfilling the promise of advancing equal access to justice for thousands of people in Illinois who can't afford help with their legal problems. In 2025, we know that the work we do will be more urgent and necessary than ever.

Justice means access. Legal problems can threaten a person's stability and wellbeing, but access to legal help keeps people in communities housed, fed, health and safe. PILI helps people with all kinds of civil legal matters through a wide range of efforts to fill the gaps in the legal aid delivery system, like veterans and their families through the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network, our courthouse help desks for self-represented litigants, or Illinois Free Legal Answers, or our virtual legal aid clinic. We provide accurate information, resources, tools, and pro bono attorneys to answer questions and represent clients in court. Every year, thousands of people are served through PILI's programs, and that number is only growing.

Justice also means opportunity. PILI provides funding for law students to build careers in public interest law from the very start through our Law Student Internship Program. We also support law school graduates in creating pathways to pro bono service in their new careers through our Graduate Fellowship Program. Our Pro Bono Program engages lawyers and legal professionals at any stage in their career to help where they're needed most. And we engage our network of over 5,000 program Alumni in a variety of service opportunities throughout the year. Opportunities like these make our commitment to justice a reality.

And justice requires service. PILI is working to build a deeply rooted culture of service in the Illinois legal community, where pro bono and public interest law engagement is optimized to best serve people, families and communities in need. We work with legal service agencies, law firm and corporate pro bono programs, bar associations, law schools, the judiciary, and other groups across the state, bringing them together to share ideas, build partnerships, and support our shared commitment to service.

There is so much we have already done and so much we are planning to do in the year ahead to stand for justice. Learn more about how our Law Student Internship, Graduate Fellowship, Alumni, and Pro Bono Programs are engaging, inspiring and empowering the Illinois legal community. You can also learn about volunteer opportunities and how to get involved with PILI or make a donation to support our work today!

SAVE THE DATE

Join PILI at one of our events in 2025:

Check out our entire listing of upcoming programs and events

For more information about PILI, our work and how you can support us, please contact PILI's Executive Director, Michael Bergmann, by email or at 312-832-5129.

Prior year's themes: 2020: Defining Justice, 2021: Gateway to Justice, 2022: Take the Initiative, 2023: A Community of Service, and 2024: Empowered to Advocate