For Current PILI Fellows
The below information is meant for current PILI Fellows. Please don't hesitate to contact PILI staff if you need help or have any questions.
Educational Seminar Series
As a PILI Fellow, your education doesn’t just happen at your agency. PILI organizes a series of weekly educational seminars for Fellows over the summer, covering a range of hard skills and substantive law topics related to public interest law and pro bono. We also discuss career development ideas for law students interested in public interest law.
View upcoming PILI educational and networking events »
Check out last year's Summer Educational Programming schedule »
An online archive of past PILI educational seminars, covering a variety of topics in public interest law and professional development, is available on our YouTube channel and Facebook page »
About PILI's Fellowship Stipend
In addition to the regular summer stipend that firms pay to their incoming associates who are studying for the bar exam, participating law firms also offer incoming associates who choose to do a PILI Fellowship an additional stipend for the summer. Each firm makes its own decisions regarding the stipend amount and the number of Fellows it will sponsor. Fellows are paid directly by their firms, not through PILI or the agency. Check with your firm for more details.
Service Tracking Forms and Program Evaluation
PILI requires Fellows to complete a service tracking form to report on the types of work you are doing and the clients you are serving at your agency this summer and fall. We will send it out at the end of summer, in August. Fellows' specific start and end dates vary – some of you are performing all or most of your service in the fall – so please fill out this form once your Fellowship is complete. Click here for more information.
You can also download a Client Service Tracking Sheet. This is an optional tool to help you keep track of the work you do and clients you serve, so that you can provide accurate feedback to PILI about your Fellowship.
If you are having any problems or issues with your Fellowship that you would like PILI to address immediately, don’t wait for the evaluation period. Please contact us right away.
Community
When you become a PILI Fellow, you join a class of over 100 law students and graduates serving the public interest through PILI that year. PILI also offers a range of social and networking opportunities as part of our Fellowship program. As a PILI, you become part of a distinguished group of 4,000 law students and lawyers who have been PILI Law Student Interns or Graduate Fellows since PILI was founded in 1977. With PILI’s Alumni Network, you can stay connected to PILI throughout your career through educational, networking, service and leadership opportunities.
Meet our current class of Interns and Fellows »
Learn more about the PILI Alumni Network »
Tips on making the most of your PILI Fellowship
The value of a PILI Fellowship can be both personal and professional as you experience the world of public interest law, expand your network and gain practical legal skills. Tips compiled by agency supervisors and former Interns and Fellows can help you make the most of this valuable experience. Click here to download (pdf).
PILI Facebook Spotlight
Each Friday, PILI spotlights one Intern or Fellow and the work they are doing on our Facebook page. This is a great way to introduce yourself to the Illinois legal community. If you would like to be featured in a spotlight, please contact Michael Bergmann.
If you have any other questions about your Fellowship, or if you require special assistance, auxiliary aids, or other accommodations to fully participate in the PILI Graduate Fellowship Program, please contact PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann by email or by phone at 312-832-5129.