PILI is excited to welcome ten fall Law Student Interns who will work 200 hours during the semester at legal service agencies in Chicago.
PILI will grant over $370,500 to fund 67 Law Student Interns at 30 public interest law agencies across Illinois in the coming year. For the school year, PILI will fund 20 Law Student Interns, 10 per semester for 200 hours with the school-year stipend increased from $3,100 to $3,250. Learn more »
In addition to funding these Interns, PILI ensures quality supervision by experienced agency attorneys, and provides extra educational, networking and mentoring opportunities. This program helps Interns launch successful public interest law careers while also helping the Intern’s agency increase their impact.
Six of the fall Internship placements are made possible by special funding commitments from individual and organizational champions for public interest law:
ANDERSEN INTERN
Madeleine Paulsen is a third-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and is serving as the Andersen Named Intern at Legal Aid Society. Madeleine has previously worked as a Judicial Extern in the Office of the Presiding Judge, Domestic Violence Division in Chicago where she researched and drafted memos related to access to justice, financial abuse, and firearms restraining orders. Madeleine has also spent time working for the National Immigrant Justice Center’s LGBT Initiative, which assists LGBTQ+ individuals with immigration paperwork. Before attending law school, Madeleine received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. This Internship is generously funded by Judge Wayne R. Andersen (Ret.), supporting the work of Legal Aid Society, which aims to protect and strengthen families by providing equal access to justice for all.
BAKER MCKENZIE INTERN
Alondra Silva is a second-year law student at University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and is serving as the Baker Intern at Center for Disability and Elder Law, an organization that provides free legal services to low-income seniors and people with disabilities throughout Cook County. Alondra previously worked as a translator for the Immigrant Justice Legal Clinic and desires to use her skills to expand access to justice for marginalized groups. Before attending law school, Lucy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a Minor in Latino Studies from Aurora University. Baker McKenzie has a longstanding commitment to ensuring access to justice for all of those in need, and funding a school-year Internship placement through PILI further supports this tradition of service.
BRAD & TERRI LANE INTERN
Magdalena Biedron is a second-year law student at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and is serving as the Brad and Terri Lane Named Intern at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Madeleine has previously worked as a Judicial Extern in the Office of the Presiding Judge, Domestic Violence Division in Chicago where she researched and drafted memos related to access to justice, financial abuse, and firearms restraining orders. Madeleine has also spent time working for the National Immigrant Justice Center’s LGBT Initiative, which assists LGBTQ+ individuals with immigration paperwork. Before attending law school, Madeleine received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. Brad & Terri fund an Internship stipend to make it possible for an aspiring attorney to help those who need assistance, and to assist that person in becoming a difference maker in legal aid, public interest, or pro bono service over the course of their professional career.
CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION INTERN
Olivia McGrath is a second-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and is serving as the Chicago Bar Foundation Intern at Ascend Justice, an organization with a mission to empower individuals and families impacted by gender-based violence or the child welfare system. Before attending law school, Olivia worked as a kindergarten teacher in Dallas, TX as part of the Teach for America program. In that role, Olivia learned about child advocacy and desires to continue advocating for the rights of children and their parents. Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Business in Management and a Bachelor of Arts in World Languages from Southern Methodist University.
LAGBAC FOUNDATION INTERN
Michelle Barrera-Valenzuela is a third-year law student at DePaul University College of Law and is serving as the LAGBAC Foundation Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center’s LGBTQ Project. Michelle has years of experience working on behalf of immigrants, and she is currently working as a Student Attorney with the DePaul University Asylum and Immigration Clinic. Before attending law school, Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Political Science and a Master of Arts in Latin American & Latino Studies from the University of Illinois Chicago. The LAGBAC Foundation’s mission is to improve access to the legal and judicial system for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed and questioning persons by giving law students the opportunity to learn valuable, practical legal skills while giving back to our community. LAGBAC is Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Bar Association and the LAGBAC Foundation is its charitable foundation.
O’BRIEN INTERN
Julian Quiroga-Cubillos is a third-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and is currently serving as the O’Brien Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Violence and Human Trafficking Project. Julian has previously interned at Beyond Legal Aid and The Resurrection Project where he did intake interviews in both English and Spanish and assisted clients with immigration paperwork. Before attending law school, Julian received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Michigan State University. This Internship is generously funded by Justice Sheila M. O’Brien (Ret.), supporting the work of the National Immigrant Justice Center providing access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Click here to see the full list of Fall Interns and where they will be working this semester »