Just The Beginning – A Pipeline Organization (JTB-APO) is a multiracial, nonprofit organization that has served the legal community for over 25 years. It is dedicated to developing and nurturing interest in the law among young persons of color from various socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds underrepresented in the legal profession and to support their continued advancement via our pipeline programs. JTB-APO seeks to broaden our reach and serve even more Chicago high school students with our programming and give the students we serve the chance to meet and network with local pro bono and public interest lawyers.

We are seeking a PILI Graduate Fellow to work with JTB-APO board of directors, staff, and key stakeholders at Chicago area high schools to develop a new curriculum for the upcoming school year. This curriculum would include the key components of our interactive cornerstone high school program with legal focused activities that enhance participant’s reading, writing, critical thinking, professional etiquette, financial literacy, and public speaking skills. It would also include a special focus on the life and career of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. This new specialized curriculum will culminate with visits to the high school by Justice Sotomayor during our upcoming National Conference. Additionally, the fellow would assist in the curriculum development and execution for our Summer programming in Chicago and surrounding areas. With the partnership of a PILI Graduate Fellow, we not only continue to build on our vision of a legal profession in which lawyers and judges reflect the backgrounds and perspectives of the populations they serve, but we actively create a more diverse legal profession focused on public interest law and pro bono work.

This agency is approved to host Graduate Fellows.